The New York Islanders were able to have a nice bounce-back performance following a loss to the New York Rangers against the Chicago Blackhawks at home. In the win, a player for the Islanders continues to be a pleasant surprise.
Through four games, the Islanders sit with a record of 2-2. New York has played some good hockey at home, and they have done well considering they are without one of their best forwards.
The Islanders being at .500 without Mathew Barzal is an encouraging sign so far. The hope is that he will return soon, and his skating is a good sign.
What the expectations are going to be for New York going forward is still a bit of an unknown. There have been some good things and bad things so far. While their offseason might have been a quiet one in terms of upgrades, one player who has been a great move so far has been the signing of defenseman Logan Stanley.
Just before the start of the season, the Islanders elected to sign Stanley, and it has been a move that has worked out nicely so far.
Oct 8, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Logan Stanley (8) and New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) defend against Chicago Blackhawks left wing Nick Lardis (76) during the third period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Even though he might have been signed just before the start of the season, Stanley has made a major impact for the team. So far this year, he has totaled four points in four games, with all of them being assists.
Recently, the injury to Alexander Romanov forced Peter DeBoer to shake up his defensive pairings . With Stanley playing well, he has been moved up to the first pair along with Matthew Schaefer.
For a player who was just signed, this is a pretty remarkable rise in a short amount of time for Stanley. In the most recent win against the Blackhawks, he played just under 24 minutes, and the combination of him and Schaefer looked really good.
Stanley was coming off a career-year in terms of point production with both the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres. During the 2025-26 campaign, he totaled 26 points with nine goals and 17 assists.
While Stanley isn't going to be a point-per-game player throughout the year, he is off to a hot start and has provided a major boost early on. It will be interesting to see what DeBoer ends up doing with the defensive pairs going forward. However, it was a good audition for Stanley on the first pair, and if he keeps playing as he has, it could become a more permanent pairing.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/islanders/onsi as NY Islanders' Logan Stanley Has Blown Away Expectations So Far .
