
Quinn Hughes offered glimpse into Matthew Schaefer’s Islanders future
NY Post
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — I saw Matthew Schaefer’s future Saturday night.
The future wore No. 43 for the Wild, skated 30:37, had three assists, eight shots on goal and is one of two players who can lay claim to the title of best defenseman in the world right now.
Schaefer’s own brilliance for the Islanders at age 18 has raised questions about how he can top this amazing rookie season, where he can be better, what he will look like in his prime if he can do this already. Well, Quinn Hughes turned 26 in October and Schaefer, whose skating, edgework and offensive ability provide a natural comparable, might just look a whole lot like he does once he hits that age.
“Quinn’s obviously such a skilled player,” Schaefer told The Post. “… He’s very skilled, very fun to watch. They got a great team over there as well. It’s fun to play against them because you’re always challenging yourself at all lines of the ice.”

Most of the words Chris Drury said in July about defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov centered around the defensive side of the $49 million defenseman’s game. The Rangers president and general manager wanted to be better in front of their goaltenders. He wanted improved coverage in high-danger areas. And Gavrikov, inked to a seven-year deal at the start of free agency that month to pair with Adam Fox, possessed “qualities of an elite shutdown guy.”












