NY Islanders Rookie Earning the Trust of Coaching Staff

The New York Islanders have been battling injuries in the early going of the 2026-27 NHL regular season.

Star forward Mathew Barzal has still not suited up, missing the first 10 games and counting with a knee ailment. He is still only doing individual skating and has yet to take part in any team activities.

Against the Toronto Maple Leafs a few games ago, No. 2 center Calum Ritchie and winger Matias Maccelli both suffered lower-body injuries. They will each be sidelined for a few weeks, with the young center out at least four and Maccelli out for at least two.

With those three sidelined, the team needs other players to step up. One player who has answered the call is rookie Victor Eklund, who is improving on a nightly basis and earning the trust of the coaching staff.

Viktor Eklund coming into his own for the Islanders

Playing on the second line with veteran Brayden Schenn moving to the center spot and Emil Heineman at left wing, Eklund’s confidence looks to be on the rise. He still makes a few mistakes, which is expected from a 20-year-old still learning to find his way in the NHL, but he is doing enough to warrant an increased role on the ice.

The Islanders unfortunately weren’t able to get a win over the Los Angeles Kings in their final game at UBS Arena before hitting the road for four games, but Eklund had another strong performance.

He got his team on the board with a goal in the second period, finding the back of the net on the power play for the first time in his career, with assists from Heineman and defenseman Tony DeAngelo.

It is the third goal of the season for Eklund, as he has lit the lamp in two games in a row. Against the Anaheim Ducks in a 3-2 victory, the rookie winger scored the second goal of the evening for New York. He and Heineman are finding a nice rhythm, with his wing partner getting an assist on that play as well.

Eklund’s comfort on the ice is growing, and he is finding his spots more successfully. He had three shots on goal against the Kings and had the second-best expected Goals For with a 1.03. His xGoal Share of 95.2% was the second-best in the game, behind only Heineman, who had a 95.4%.

Schenn was right behind them with a 94.7%, as the team’s second line is playing at an incredibly high level currently.

Arguably the most impressive part about Eklund’s performance is that he is doing some of the dirty work to help a team succeed on the ice. He had a single-game career high of six hits, giving him multiple hits in seven out of 10 games this season.

That willingness to mix things up led to him receiving 17:44 minutes of ice time, which was the third most among forwards on the squad, behind only Bo Horvat, who played 21:33, and Simon Holmstrom, who played 20:50 and was on fire coming into the game.

The 17:44 was by far the most playing time that Eklund has received as a rookie, as his role is growing on a nightly basis.