The New York Islanders' depth has really been tested in the early going of the 2026-27 season because of injuries.
Star forward Mathew Barzal is still not skating with the team, working his way back from a knee ailment that kept him off the ice for the entirety of training camp as well. He was recently joined on the sidelines by center Calum Ritchie and winger Matias Maccelli, who both suffered lower-body injuries against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With Ritchie and Maccelli both projected to miss multiple weeks of action, the Islanders had to make changes to their lineup . Kyle MacLean, who had been a healthy scratch, was set to make his season debut against the Anaheim Ducks . Joining him was Mitchell Chaffee, who was recalled from the Hamilton Hammers.
Both were inserted into the fourth line, flanking veteran center Casey Cizikas. Despite limited time acclimating to one another ahead of the game, the fourth line proved to be productive, making an immediate impact.
Jan 21, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Islanders forward KyleMacLean (32) is pictured during a game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
That trio provided a physical brand of hockey, which led to Chaffee dropping the gloves for the second time in the NHL. He crushed Frank Vatrano near the Ducks' bench, which led to a challenge from AJ Greer, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 224 pounds.
Chaffee, who is listed at 6 feet and 197 pounds, did not back down despite the stark size difference between him and Greer.
"When you're going around hitting guys too, that's gonna happen," Chaffee said of the scrap, via Tyler Millen of NHL.com . "He kept asking me to go so you got to do what you got to do."
Chaffee was on the ice for only 9:13, but he certainly made his presence felt. MacLean received 9:56 minutes of ice time and was making an impact on defense , delivering five hits and winning a faceoff.
As the fourth line, making an impact defensively is key. The cherry on top of their performance was that they also generated opportunities on the offensive end of the ice. Per Millen, they created three scoring chances when playing even-strength, 5-on-5 hockey.
"They did a great job," DeBoer said of Chaffee and MacLean. "I didn't have to hide them. They had some shifts against the big guys. I thought they gave us energy, they gave us some physicality. Some really good puck possession shifts, especially in the third period. When you're up in a game like that, the best defense is ozone time and just a little bit of grind in your game and I thought they did a good job of that."
As the game moved along, the confidence of that trio grew. They were finding their rhythm as new linemates, playing a suffocating style of hockey that led to extended time of possession in the offensive zone.
The line of MacLean-Cizikas-Chaffee will be worth keeping an eye on in the coming weeks. This is a golden opportunity for them to prove why they deserve to be on the NHL roster, with Maccelli sidelined for at least two weeks and Ritchie for at least four.,
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/islanders/onsi as NY Islanders New Fourth Line Makes Immediate Two-Way Impact .
