- Last season, an end-of-the-year feud between New York Islander Anthony Duclair and head coach Patrick Roy caused the former to step away from the team. Still, Duclair is coming into the 2025-26 season more motivated than ever. In a new article from Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, Rosner quoted Duclair saying, “The Islanders right now are my team. I love them. I love playing for them. I love the fans. We got a great hockey rink. It’s been a joy, and I’m looking forward to a great season. And I’m looking forward to bouncing back and hopefully getting into the playoffs.“
[SOURCE LINK]
Islanders Rumors
No PTOs Planned For Islanders; Iskhakov Plans To Return To North America In 2026-27
With training camps a little over a month away, we’re not too far away from seeing plenty of veterans inking PTO deals to try to catch on with a team for the 2025-26 season. Don’t expect the Islanders to be doing so, however. NewsNation’s Rob Taub relays (Twitter link) that GM Mathieu Darche indicated during a virtual Q&A with season ticket holders that he doesn’t intend to bring in anyone on tryout deals to camp. New York has some extra depth up front following the additions of Jonathan Drouin, Emil Heineman, and Maxim Shabanov while it appears they plan to give some prospects including top pick Matthew Schaefer a chance to lock down a spot on the back end, negating the need to add some extra options at that position.
- Still with the Islanders, RFA winger Ruslan Iskhakov told Match TV’s Andrey Irkha that his plan remains to return to North America for the 2026-27 season. The 25-year-old was quite productive in the minors with Bridgeport in 2022-23 and 2023-24, tallying 101 points in 138 games along the way but was only recalled for one NHL contest, a game in which he scored. But instead of re-signing last summer, he opted to return home on a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow where he had 12 goals and 17 assists in 60 games last season. Now with Metallurg Magnitogorsk following a trade last month, Iskhakov doesn’t appear to be changing his original plan and appears intent on giving an NHL shot another go next year.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: New York Islanders
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Metropolitan Division, next up are the Islanders.
New York Islanders
Current Cap Hit: $89,368,333 (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Isaiah George (two years, $838.3K)
D Matthew Schaefer (three years, $975K)
F Maxim Shabanov (one year, $975K)
Potential Bonuses
George: $80K
Schaefer: $3.5MM
Shabanov: $3.5MM
Total: $7.08MM
The Islanders were the successful team out of a field of money to sign Shabanov out of Russia. One of the top scorers in the KHL last season, it’s fair to say they’ll be counting on him to be at least a secondary producer this year. In doing so, he could have a shot at hitting some of his ‘A’ bonuses of which he has four at $250K apiece. Notably, Shabanov will be arbitration-eligible next summer which will put some extra emphasis on the upcoming season.
Schaefer was the number one pick in the draft back in June despite missing most of the season due to injury. By signing his entry-level deal, the NCAA route is off the table so it’s the NHL or junior hockey for him. If he stays the full year and becomes a top-four piece, some of his four ‘A’ bonuses will be achievable as well. It’s not normal to put an ‘if’ in front of a number one pick playing in the NHL right away but with Schaefer, it’s far from a given. George didn’t look out of place in 33 games with the Isles last season. His situation may be tied to Schaefer making the team or not but it stands to reason he’ll at least see some NHL action again, allowing him to reach some of his ‘B’ bonus for games played. George is trending toward a low-seven-figure bridge deal two years from now.
Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level
D Adam Boqvist ($850K, RFA)
D Tony DeAngelo ($1.75MM, UFA)
F Marc Gatcomb ($900K, RFA)
F Anders Lee ($7MM, UFA)
F Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($5MM, UFA)
G David Rittich ($1MM, UFA)
After a tough 2023-24 campaign, Lee bounced back last season with his highest point total since 2017-18. He finished second on the team in points which is more like what they expect from their captain. However, Lee will be entering his age-36 year on his next deal and teams have gotten stingier with contracts given to players that age in recent years. Even a three-year agreement might be deemed too risky unless it was for a big cut price-wise. A two-year pact could be doable at a small dip in pay or, alternatively, teams could push for one year plus achievable games-played bonuses to allow for more in-season flexibility. Both are viable options for him next summer.
A year ago, it looked like the Islanders might have to attach a sweetener to clear Pageau’s contract but instead, they spurned trade interest in him this summer. He’s someone who is steadily around the 35-40-point mark and with his defensive ability and faceoff prowess, he should have good interest next summer. Besting this price tag might be tough for Pageau but another multi-year pact with an AAV starting with a four might be doable. Gatcomb was a serviceable fourth liner in the second half of last season, a good showing after getting his first NHL deal at 25 last summer. He’ll need to show that can hold that role down over a full season and if he does, that could jump him into the $1.5MM range next year.
DeAngelo was a midseason signing after being lured away from his KHL contract and it was a good move as he was his usual productive self while also logging over 23 minutes a game. His defensive concerns will continue to limit his earnings upside but a good full-season showing could give him a shot at a multi-year deal in the $3MM range next summer. Boqvist saw limited minutes after being a midseason waiver claim and signed with a small raise instead of what was likely to be a non-tender to avoid arbitration eligibility. He’ll still be arbitration-eligible summer which will probably work against him again barring a breakout season. As someone who profiles as a sixth defender at best, he’s likely going to stay close to the minimum salary unless his role drastically changes.
Rittich was brought in as goaltending insurance via free agency. He wound up making 31 starts for the Kings last season although his .886 SV% was well below average. Still, he has been a serviceable backup in the past if need be and if he isn’t needed to hedge against injuries, his contract can come off the books entirely if he’s in the minors (if he’s not claimed off waivers).
Signed Through 2026-27
F Casey Cizikas ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Jonathan Drouin ($4MM, UFA)
F Emil Heineman ($1.1MM, RFA)
F Simon Holmstrom ($3.625MM, RFA)
F Kyle MacLean ($775K, RFA)
F Kyle Palmieri ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Maxim Tsyplakov ($2.25MM, UFA)
G Semyon Varlamov ($2.75MM, UFA)
Palmieri was in trade speculation right up to the deadline with the belief that the lack of a trade meant a handshake agreement was in place with then-GM Lou Lamoriello. It appears new GM Mathieu Darche largely upheld that agreement with this contract. Palmieri quietly posted 24 goals and 24 assists last season and near-50-point production for under $5MM in this market isn’t bad value. He’ll be 36 when he needs a new contract and, like Lee, his options may be more limited at that time. When healthy, Drouin was quite productive with Colorado, notching 37 points in 43 games but injuries have now been an issue for him in five of the last six seasons. While he was able to get more than one year this time around, it’s still a below-market contract for what a top-six forward should be receiving. He’ll need to stay healthy and keep producing if he wants a shot at a long-term deal two years from now.
Holmstrom has only been a full-time NHL player for the last two seasons but has quickly worked his way from being a role player to a secondary core piece at both ends of the ice. The lower-cost bridge deal bought Darche some extra short-term flexibility but it sets up Holmstrom well two years from now when he’ll have a $3.75MM qualifying offer and arbitration rights. Assuming he’s able to at least stay at this level, a jump to something starting with a five might be the next step. Cizikas getting six years four summers ago was a bit of a shocker although it has held up relatively well so far. He’s still a contributing fourth liner who can move up in a pinch and help a bit on the penalty kill. In a market where some fourth liners are starting to get higher salaries, this isn’t as much of an overpayment as it might have first seemed.
Tsyplakov was believed to also be nearing a new deal before the GM change but this one wasn’t upheld with the sides working out this agreement a little before an arbitration hearing. He had a solid first season in North America after coming over from the KHL and even if he stays in a third-line role, this deal should hold up well. With a couple more years under his belt come 2027, his market could be an interesting one. Heineman came over as part of the Noah Dobson trade after a decent rookie season that saw him score double-digit goals while primarily playing on the fourth line. Assuming he even stays at that pace, he could land closer to $1.75MM in two years while some offensive improvement could allow him to easily clear $2MM. MacLean was a regular fourth liner although he wasn’t used a lot, nor did he produce much. If he stays in this role, he’s likely to stay close to the minimum moving forward.
When Varlamov received a four-year deal two years ago at 35, it was supposed to be the last two seasons that would be the concerning ones. However, he was limited to just 10 appearances last season and is only set to start skating soon, necessitating the Rittich signing as insurance. At his best, Varlamov can be an above-average backup but with the injuries, that’s a big question mark moving forward.
Signed Through 2027-28
F Anthony Duclair ($3.5MM, UFA)
Duclair was last summer’s impact acquisition but he wasn’t very impactful offensively, notching just 11 points in 44 games while dealing with some injuries along with a leave of absence following some public criticism from head coach Patrick Roy. With limited cap space, they’ll need him to pull his weight moving forward or his deal might be one they’re looking to get out of in a hurry.
Snapshots: Kinkaid, Pulkkinen, Nurmi
Veteran NHL goalie Keith Kinkaid feels he still has plenty left in the tank and is working toward a return to the higher levels of professional hockey, per George Richards of NHL.com.
Kinkaid, 36, played last season for Savannah of the ECHL, the Panthers’ affiliate, posting a pedestrian .893 save percentage and 3.17 goals against average. It’s a steep fall for a 10-year NHL veteran with 146 career starts, but Kinkaid isn’t giving up hope that he can return to the top level. This summer, Kinkaid has performed well in 3ICE, an eight-team, 3-on-3 tournament being held in Florida. Kinkaid said he is hopeful to extend his pro career and is open to any opportunity.
“This is a great opportunity to show I still have it. My body is holding up very well. I am 36, but I am just trying to prolong my career because once it’s done, it’s done. [3ICE] has given me the chance to keep playing, to showcase that I still have gas left in the tank,” he said.
Elsewhere around hockey:
- NHL and KHL veteran Teemu Pulkkinen has signed in Finland with Kiekko-Vantaa of the Mestis League, per a team release. Pulkkinen, 33, appeared in 83 NHL games over four seasons. A fourth-round selection of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2010 draft (111th overall), he scored 13 goals and 22 points in the NHL but hasn’t appeared in the league since the 2016-17 season. He then spent eight seasons in the KHL, and spent last year split between Germany and Slovakia.
- New York Islanders prospect Jesse Nurmi will start next season in the AHL, per NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner. A fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft (113th overall), Nurmi, 20, spent last season with the OHL’s London Knights, where the winger produced nine goals and 31 points in 58 games. A native of Finland, the 6-foot, 180-pound left-shot winger spent parts of three seasons in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league, before making his North American debut last year.
Islanders’ Kashawn Aitcheson Will Return To OHL
Season plans have been revealed for New York Islanders first-round prospect Kashawn Aitcheson. Amid rumors of signing his entry-level contract or moving to the NCAA, Aitcheson will instead be returning to the OHL’s Barrie Colts for his age-19 season, Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports in his newsletter. Rosner adds that New York will wait to sign Aitcheson until next summer.
Aitcheson led Barrie’s blue-line in scoring in each of the last two seasons. He joined the Colts’ full-time in the 2023-24 season, at age 17, after a 23-game trial run in the prior season. It didn’t take long for Aitcheson to display a special lean towards feisty, aggressive hockey. He finished his first full OHL season with a team-leading 126 penalty minutes in 64 games, to go along with his defense-leading 39 points. The performance was a great show of the unique and overwhelming presence that Aitcheson brought to the lineup. Even more exciting was how he managed to build on that strong start this past season.
Through 64 games this year, a focus on staying poised and in-position boosted Aitcheson to an impressive 26 goals and 59 points, along with a restrained 88 penalty minutes. His goal-total is the third-most any OHL defenseman has managed in their draft year since 2000 — behind only Zayne Parekh (33) and Ryan Murphy (26). Aitcheson ranks just ahead of Evan Bouchard (25), Aaron Ekblad (23), and Ryan Ellis (22). That’s impressive company for the Islanders prospect, especially given that Ekblad is the only one of the bunch to also record more than 80 penalty minutes. Aitcheson’s performance was enough to earn the 17th-overall selection in this year’s draft.
An 18-goal leap from one season to the next will be hard for any player to sustain, though. Rather than couple that task with the challenge of a league change, Aitcheson will return to familiarity to really carve in his rut as a scorer. That will come as great news for Colts fans, who can almost certainly expect a near point-per-game season out of Aitcheson’s encore display. He’ll be joined by the return of Utah Mammoth first-round pick Cole Beaudoin, who scored 22 goals and 51 points in 52 games last season.
Islanders fans will have a list of places to follow their 2025 first-round picks on the back of this news. First-overall pick Matthew Schaefer will compete for a role on the NHL lineup, or join Aitcheson in a return to the OHL, after recently signing his first pro contract. New York’s patience with signing Aitcheson seems to indicate the runway Schaefer will receive. Meanwhile, Victor Eklund will return to Sweden’s SHL for next season, after he supported Djugardens IF to a promotion from the HockeyAllsvenskan last year.
Calum Ritchie Will Have Opportunity To Make Islanders Roster
- A few days ago, it was reported that New York Islanders’ prospect Calum Ritchie had every intention of making the Islanders’ opening night roster. In a new report from Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, we now know that he’ll be given every opportunity to do so. Citing Jeff Marek on his podcast, The Sheet, Rosner shared a quote from New York’s General Manager, Mathieu Darche, saying, If Calum comes to training camp and he outplays everyone, I’ll make room for him on the roster.”
[SOURCE LINK]
Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov To Resume Skating
After indicating in mid-April that he’s hoping to be ready for training camp, it appears Semyon Varlamov’s rehab from a knee procedure last December is tracking in the right direction. On the podcast The Sheet, hosted by Daily Faceoff journalist Jeff Marek, New York Islanders General Manager Mathieu Darche mentioned that Varlamov’s recovery is progressing well, and he is expected to resume skating soon.
Despite being the 17th season of his professional career, there’s no questioning that the 2024-25 season was Varlamov’s worst. Not due to his performance, but his knee injury limited him to only 10 games on the season. After the Islanders signed Varlamov to a four-year, $11MM contract in 2023, the idea was that they would have a consistent above-average backup netminder behind Ilya Sorokin for the foreseeable future.
In his defense, that’s largely what he’s been doing with the Islanders. Since ceding the starting job to Sorokin during the 2021-22 season, Varlamov managed a 35-34-8 record in 78 starts with a .914 SV%, 2.74 GAA, and 21.8 Goals Saved Above Average from the 2021-22 season to the 2023-24 campaign. Given that New York has struggled to score throughout this time, their strong play in the crease has been a primary reason the Islanders have qualified for the postseason in two out of the past four years.
Throughout his limited action last season, Varlamov finished with a 3-4-3 record in 10 games with a .889 SV% and 2.89 GAA. It was the lowest save percentage he’s achieved since the 2016-17 season with the Colorado Avalanche, though it was far too small a sample size to make any strong projections about his value moving forward.
Still, their offseason moves indicate that New York’s new front office isn’t wholly confident in Varlamov’s abilities, at least for the upcoming season. The Islanders signed David Rittich, the former backup goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings, to a one-year, $1MM contract on the opening day of free agency this summer.
Although he had a forgettable season last year with the Kings, his two-year stint in California was largely positive, finishing with a 29-20-5 record in 58 games with a .902 SV% and 2.55 GAA. Despite the down season in 2024-25, Rittich has only had one brief stint in the AHL since the 2017-18 season, so it stands to reason he wouldn’t put himself in a position for a demotion entering his age-33 season.
In summary, the Islanders are in a strong position regarding their goaltending, primarily due to having one of the best netminders in the game. There are other teams with much bigger issues in the crease than deciding between Varlamov and Rittich as their backup.
Islanders Sign Sean Day To AHL Deal
The AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders have signed left-shot defenseman Sean Day to a one-year AHL deal, according to a club announcement. He’ll presumably get a look in the Isles’ NHL camp on a PTO in hopes of turning that into an NHL contract before heading down to Bridgeport.
Day, 27, is long removed from his days as an “exceptional status” defender who gained entrance to high-level junior hockey in the OHL a year early. He was a third-round pick by the Rangers by the time he became draft-eligible in 2016 and never turned that into full-time NHL minutes. He only made his big-league debut a few years ago, skating in two games for the Lightning in the 2021-22 season.
The Belgium-born Canadian has spent most of his professional career in the Tampa organization, suiting up primarily for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch from 2020-21 through 2023-24. His performance was inconsistent during that time, peaking with 40 points in 69 games in 2021-22 before bottoming out with only 14 assists in 63 games the following year.
Day landed another two-way contract with the Bolts for 2023-24 but again went without NHL action, posting a 5-14–23 scoring line in 54 games for Syracuse with a -3 rating. That led him to explore a short-term exodus to Europe, signing with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League. He made 45 appearances for the top-flight club with diminished results. He had 11 points and a -18 rating in the regular season before adding an assist and a +4 rating in six relegation games to help them avoid demotion to the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan for 2025-26.
He’ll be one-and-done overseas as he returns to a more comfortable environment in North America, this time without the initial opportunity for an NHL call-up. He’ll provide 379 games of pro experience to a reshaped Bridgeport blue line that should have some younger, dynamic Isles prospects like Isaiah George and Jesse Pulkkinen playing significant roles.
Islanders Sign Matthew Schaefer
Back in June, the Islanders made Matthew Schaefer the first overall pick in the draft. Now, they have their newest top prospect under contract as the team announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that, as expected, Schaefer has received the maximum allowable. That means he carries a $975K cap charge including signing bonus money plus an additional $3.5MM in potential performance bonuses, $1MM in ’A’ bonuses and $2.5MM in harder to reach ’B’ bonuses.
The 17-year-old (who will turn 18 next month) didn’t enter last season as the presumptive top selection. However, a strong start with OHL Erie vaulted him into the discussion heading to the World Juniors. He only played in two games there for Canada before suffering a broken clavicle that ended his season. Prior to the injury, he had seven goals and 15 assists in just 17 contests for the Otters. That was a five-point improvement on the year before, despite playing in 39 fewer games.
That was enough for new GM Mathieu Darche to make him the new centerpiece of their future back end, especially since they dealt their previous top defender, Noah Dobson, to Montreal on draft day for two more first-round picks along with winger Emil Heineman. New York is all in on Schaefer being the type of all-situations number one defender that is extremely difficult to come by.
That said, while it’s customary for first overall selections to make the jump to the NHL right away, there’s a case to be made that he could benefit from not doing that. With how much time he missed, he could be better off with one more developmental year under his belt before making the jump. However, it’s worth noting that if the Islanders feel the same way, he will have to return to Erie as he is no longer eligible to play NCAA hockey having now signed his entry-level pact.
If he winds up playing fewer than ten NHL games next season, his contract will slide. Alternatively, they could look at the lesser-known threshold of 40 games on the NHL active roster. If Schaefer came in below that and then was sent back, he’d burn the first year of his contract but not accrue a season of service time toward UFA eligibility.
Speculatively, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Schaefer at least break camp with the Islanders with the team assessing how things are going from there. They didn’t bring anyone in to take Dobson’s spot on the back end while Mike Reilly also left via free agency, signing with Carolina. As a result, there’s a definite opening on their back end for Schaefer to fill next season and while he doesn’t have quite the experience that top picks usually have by now, he has the talent to come in and be a difference-maker quite quickly.
Calum Ritchie Hoping To Crack Islanders' Roster
- Moving east in the Metro Division, New York Islanders youngster Calum Ritchie is hoping to make the team’s opening night roster out of training camp. In a recent interview with Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, Ritchie said, “I’m going to come in here and work as hard as I can to show them what I’ve got.” Ritchie was one of the main pieces acquired by the Islanders last offseason from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for center Brock Nelson. The 27th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft scored 15 goals and 70 points in 47 games for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals last season.
[SOURCE LINK]