Offseason Mailbag: Does Victor Eklund Start In The NHL?

Welcome back to the Isles Den Podcast for Episode 10. Today out of appreciation for the loyal listeners we ran a mailbag from X and Reddit where Jack answered all the New York Islanders submitted questions and comments.Fans were wondering if Mathieu Darche was done for the offseason, if Kyle Palmieri can bounce back, whether or not this team will be aggressive if things go south next NHL season and if this team can surprise some experts to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2027. We had some fun discussions like who I think was the best UFA signing in team history as well.Things are pretty quiet on Long Island as we are in the middle of July. Outside of the NHL Schedule Release and Islanders alternate jersey designs being submitted, I’d expect the hockey news to be slow until we get closer to training camp.Enjoy!Chapters00:00 Introduction00:50 NY Islanders Ownership: Discussing the roles of Jon Ledecky, Scott Malkin and John Collins02:52 Rebuilding vs. Retooling NHL General Managers06:11 Does Victor Eklund start next season in the NHL?08:30 Is Semyon Varlamov the best free agency signing in Islanders history?12:25 Will Mathieu Darche add more free agents this summer?14:25 Will Pete DeBoer be able to maximize the talent on this Isles team?18:40 What happens if the Islanders spiral next year?20:40 Would you rather trade Adam Pelech or Alexander Romanov?24:40 Is letting Anders Lee walk the correct decision?31:05 How will Trade Deadline look next year on Long Island?33:45 Will the Islanders make the playoffs this season?36:20 Evaluating the first season of Mathieu DarcheFollow Isles Den: https://linktr.ee/islesdenhttps://www.youtube.com/@IslesDenhttps://www.tiktok.com/@islesdenhttps://www.instagram.com/islesdenhttps://www.twitter.com/IslesDen