Matthew Schaefer's Increased Ice Time Raises Questions for Islanders

Despite coach Pete DeBoer’s expressed intention to manage Matthew Schaefer’s workload carefully, the 19-year-old defenseman’s ice time has increased by over 90 seconds per game compared to last season. Schaefer is now averaging 26 minutes and 13 seconds per night, placing him fourth in the league in this metric.

However, both Schaefer and the New York Islanders organization view this increase differently. Schaefer himself expressed that he enjoys playing, feels his body is holding up well, and would not request fewer minutes. The Islanders, according to DeBoer, manage Schaefer’s usage not by the raw number of minutes but by how they are distributed. DeBoer noted that shifts spent defending or killing penalties are more taxing than those on the power play or in offensive situations.

"I think 26 minutes isn’t necessarily all the same type of minutes," DeBoer said. "If you’re defending all night, if you’re killing penalties, those are different minutes [than] power play and offensive situations, things like that."

Throughout Schaefer’s tenure in the NHL, his workload has not appeared to negatively impact his performance. He has not experienced prolonged slumps and has consistently maintained his effectiveness late in games, even when heavily relied upon.

The primary concern regarding his increased minutes appears to be the potential long-term effects of the accumulated mileage during his teenage years.

“Obviously sometimes [DeBoer] will check in and be like, make sure you’re resting the body, taking the option you need and things like that,” Schaefer told The Post. “At the end of the day, I think he knows I love to be out there. I’m still young, so try to burn some energy out there. It’s fun.”

In other team news, the Islanders placed Matias Maccelli and Calum Ritchie on injured reserve due to lower-body injuries. This move allowed the team to call up Kashawn Aitcheson and Pierre Engvall as paper transactions. These players are not expected to play or join the team, but their inclusion helps the Islanders manage their salary cap and maximize their long-term injured reserve pool, particularly in anticipation of potentially placing Alexander Romanov on LTIR.

Placing Maccelli and Ritchie on injured reserve does not alter their recovery timelines, as both have already met the minimum seven-day requirement for being sidelined. Maccelli is anticipated to begin skating independently on Tuesday.