![\"Emil](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Emil-Heineman-.jpg\")
Emil Heineman scores the game-winning goal past Samuel Ersson during the third period of the Islanders\u2019 4-3 preseason win over the Flyers on Oct. 2, 2025. Getty Images<\/p>\nPHILADELPHIA \u2014 When the Islanders traded for Emil Heineman on draft night, the book on the Swedish wing was that he would be a prototypical fourth-liner. <\/p>\n
High energy, physical, speedy. <\/p>\n
An easy replacement for the role that Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin used to play on Long Island.<\/p>\n
In Thursday\u2019s preseason finale against the Flyers, though, Heineman was in the top six. <\/p>\n
This was no random occurrence of preseason roster shuffling, but a deliberate call in the eventual 4-3 win.<\/p>\n
Heineman might just work his way into that role for the Islanders, who are still shuffling through potential lineup options. <\/p>\n
If not on opening night, it\u2019s certainly something the Islanders may explore down the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like sometimes it\u2019s not just about the skill [in the top six], but bringing a different element to the line,\u201d coach Patrick Roy said before Thursday\u2019s game. \u201cMore physicality. Someone that will go get the puck. Someone [that] will go crash the net, someone [that] will go to the net. So I feel like it\u2019s exciting to see that mix.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of this experimentation is coming because no one else has quite seized the job for the last spot in the top six, on Bo Horvat\u2019s right wing. <\/p>\n
While Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri have been constants on either side of Mat Barzal throughout camp, and the Islanders have looked committed to keeping Jonathan Drouin on Horvat\u2019s left, they\u2019ve given a number of players a look on his right.<\/p>\n
Max Shabanov, who started camp there, has looked like a player very much in the midst of adjusting to the NHL during the preseason. <\/p>\n
Emil Heineman scores the game-winning goal past Samuel Ersson during the third period of the Islanders\u2019 4-3 preseason win over the Flyers on Oct. 2, 2025. Getty Images<\/p>\n
Anthony Duclair has looked good lately, but clearly has a lot of trust to earn back with Roy. Heineman, whose strong release has opened eyes in camp and whose physicality may work in the top six, may be as good an option as anyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, I\u2019m just trying to have a complete game,\u201d Heineman said. \u201cTrying to be useful all over the ice and when the time comes, I would like to be able to put the puck in the net. So I think it\u2019s, for me, I just want to be as helpful as possible. Of course I like to shoot: it\u2019s fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Horvat and Drouin both staying home from Thursday\u2019s game, Duclair and Heineman ended up as linemates, with Duclair\u2019s feed up the ice giving Heineman the decisive look at the game-winning goal at 17:06 of the third period.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can play anywhere with anyone,\u201d Duclair said. \u201cHe\u2019s a horse. He\u2019s so strong on pucks, he\u2019s got a hell of a shot. He\u2019s making the most out of his opportunity here. We\u2019re lucky to have him. He\u2019s gonna be a huge part for us. He\u2019s really good defensively as well. Really smart player.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Emil](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Emil-Heineman-2.jpg\")
Emil Heineman looks to make a play during the Islanders\u2019 preseason win over the Flyers. Getty Images<\/p>\n
Last year, his first full season in the NHL, Heineman scored 10 goals in 62 games with the Canadiens. What\u2019s stuck out specifically, Lee said, is that Heineman rarely seems to miss the net.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou give him an opportunity to shoot the puck, he really does put it in the net,\u201d Lee said. \u201cSo find him. Get him the puck. He gets open, he gets an opportunity, he\u2019s gonna put some pucks to the net with that shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Needless to say, more of those opportunities would come Heineman\u2019s way if he was playing alongside Horvat and Drouin than if he was on the fourth line in a largely defensive role.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the first thing I noticed,\u201d Roy said of Heineman\u2019s shot. \u201cWhen he came in our practice I said, \u2018whoa, wow\u2019. Mathieu [Darche] was talking a lot about his shot when we were talking about a trade with Montreal and I didn\u2019t know him very well. \u2026 But the first thing I saw in camp, I said \u2018whoa, OK, we got something there for sure\u2019.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOn the ice from Long Island\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for Inside the Islanders by Ethan Sears, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think Bo enjoyed playing with him. I thought that line with Drouin, Bo and him brought something very interesting for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think Bo enjoyed playing with him. I thought that line with Drouin, Bo and him brought something very interesting for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, it\u2019s also not that simple for Roy, who had a series of unanswered lineup questions on his plate Thursday, with the hope that the preseason finale would bring some clarity.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Cal Ritchie, who got one last shot to impress in the top six with Horvat skipping the trip to Philadelphia, was one. Where to slot Duclair, Heineman and Shabanov next Thursday in Pittsburgh was also high on the list.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s gonna be important decisions for us to make, but I\u2019m very happy with [Ritchie],\u201d Roy said. \u201cWhatever decision we\u2019re gonna make, he did what he had to do to make an impression. Makes our decision extremely difficult.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHILADELPHIA \u2014 When the Islanders traded for Emil Heineman on draft night, the book on the Swedish wing…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":273837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[1301,293,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-273836","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-new-york-islanders","9":"tag-nhl","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115308756339990473","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}