Good Morning, Islanders Country.
It’s a Quick Fix featuring Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and former VP of Communications for the Islanders, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL).
In this episode, Joe and Chris react to “Clean Out Day” interviews with players and GM Mathieu Darche following the bitterly disappointing end to the Islanders’ 2025-26 season. We dig into Darche’s comments defending his in-season trades, which he says helped the team but didn’t lead to team success. Based on his comments, the big changes some expect may not come with a roster that has few spots open, and several contracts that will be hard to move.
Later, we discuss the treatment of Anders Lee this season, and the type of deal Darche may make to have the captain return and play his 1,000th game in an Islanders uniform. Plus, Barzal and Ritchie say they’re centers, Bridgeport loads up for the post-season, and reasons to be optimistic about next season.
Thanks to all who listened this season. Enjoy!
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, the Isles lost only five games in OT/SO’s; it was their fewest OT/SO losses since the shootout was introduced in 2005-06. The Isles did not play OT in their last 17 games, the longest single-season streak in the shootout era for the club.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: On Apr. 17, 1980, the New York Islanders defeated the Boston Bruins 5-4 in overtime for the second consecutive game in their Stanley Cup quarterfinal matchup as Bob Bourne tallied the game-winner 1:24 into the extra sessions after intercepting a pass and unloading a slap shot just inside the blue line and past Gerry Cheevers. The game is also known for one of the most eventful bench-clearing brawls in Stanley Cup history that ignited the Islanders, who won the best-of-seven series in five games.
🔗 Islanders’ breakup day grounded in ‘miserable’ reality of missing playoffs: ‘Absolutely sucks’ by Ethan Sears, New York Post “No matter what the rest of the league, or the stats, or their own fans thought, the Islanders, almost uniformly, insisted on optimism. Not Wednesday. Big picture, yes, the organization is in a much better spot than it was a year ago. It’s got an 18-year-old superstar in Matthew Schaefer, a prospect pipeline that looks legitimately promising and real reason to believe there can be a contending team on Long Island in the very near future.”
🔗 Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer marvels at what he was able to do in first year on Long Island by Andrew Gross, Newsday “Matthew Schaefer’s record-setting rookie season started with admittedly humbler goals than budding superstardom after the Islanders selected him first overall in June. First, he just wanted to make the team, let alone quickly ascend to being its No. 1 defenseman and top power-play quarterback. Then he wanted to last 10 games so he wouldn’t be sent back to junior hockey.”
And we leave you with this…Semyon Varlamov takes the ice for Bridgeport!
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