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Islanders Recall Samuel Bolduc From Conditioning Loan

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The Islanders have reinstated defenseman Samuel Bolduc after assigning him to AHL Bridgeport on a conditioning loan late last month, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports. Bolduc remained on the active roster and counted against the cap while on his conditioning stint, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.

Bolduc, 23, scored a goal and earned a +2 rating in five games for Bridgeport over the past week and a half. It was his first minor-league action in 11 months after cracking the NHL roster out of training camp for the first time this season. The 2019 second-round pick has not played for the Isles since Jan. 27 and was a healthy scratch in seven straight before his assignment to Bridgeport. He’s averaged just 12:56 per game this season, the lowest among active Islanders defenders, and has three points and a -5 rating in 33 games. He’s struggled to control possession in his limited minutes, too, logging a 43.4 CF% at even strength.

Reece Newkirk Re-Assigned To ECHL

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  • The Islanders have re-assigned forward Reece Newkirk from AHL Bridgeport to ECHL Worcester, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 23-year-old was brought up last month but played only once, bringing his games played total in the AHL to 13 on the season where he has a goal and two assists.  A pending restricted free agent this summer, Newkirk appears to be trending toward non-tender territory in June.

Afternoon Notes: Tanev, Islanders, Granato, Keefe

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The newest Dallas Stars defenseman, Chris Tanev, isn’t expected to slot into Dallas’ lineup immediately, per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. Francis added that Tanev will stay in Calgary for a few days while he secures a visa. The Stars acquired Tanev from the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, sending two draft picks and defensive prospect Artem Grushnikov back to the Flames. Dallas also sent a fourth-round pick to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for the Devils retaining 50 percent of Tanev’s cap hit.

Tanev, 34, was arguably the top name on the trade market, with a long list of teams interested in adding his defensive prowess. He only has 14 points in 56 games this season, but he led active Flames defensemen in both CF% (Corsi-For Percentage) and xGF% (expected goals-for percentage), speaking to his ability to control possession and scoring opportunities. Tanev has been in the league since the 2010-11 season, when he debuted with the Vancouver Canucks, who signed him as an undrafted free agent ahead of the season. He’s played in the NHL every season since, totaling 185 points and 773 games in the league. Dallas will mark the third team of Tanev’s career, after 10 years in Vancouver and four in Calgary.

Other notes from around the league:

  • New York Islanders defenseman Robert Bortuzzo is still not skating, shares Ethan Sears of the New York Post. Bortuzzo rehabbing a lower-body injury that’s earned him a place on the team’s long-term injured reserve. He hasn’t played since January 2nd, forcing the Islanders to once again test their defensive depth. Sears also shared that the Islanders are expected to recall Hudson Fasching from his AHL conditioning stint, though he won’t be immediately activated off of LTIR. Fasching has one goal in three AHL games this season.
  • The NHL has fined both Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato and Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe for unprofessional conduct directed at officials. Each coach was docked $25K. Keefe received a game misconduct for arguing with the refs about a Mitch Marner tripping call, continuing to question the refs even after Toronto had killed off the penalty. Granato received a bench penalty for arguing a Zach Benson tripping penalty, with the opposing Florida Panthers scoring the game-winning goal on the resulting five-on-three power-play. These fines follow a precedent set by the league that aims to reduce abuse of officials.

Scott Mayfield Out Day-To-Day, Kyle MacLean Recalled

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Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News is reporting that New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield is out with a lower-body injury. In a follow-up report, Ethan Sears of the New York Post reports that Mayfield will not travel with the team to their upcoming games against the Dallas Stars or Detroit Red Wings.

Slipping further and further back in the standings, New York’s schedule won’t get any easier as their next three games come against teams currently holding a playoff position. Without Mayfield, the Islanders will have to re-shuffle their defensive core, and may even break apart the solid duo of Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov. Signed to a seven-year, $24.5MM contract this past offseason, Mayfield has left a lot to be desired, with his CorsiFor% and On-Ice Save Percentage in all situations falling below his career averages.

To fill in the spot on the active roster left by Mayfield, the Islanders did recall forward Kyle MacLean but had to maneuver him in a specific way to stay compliant with the salary cap (X Link). As an infrequent member of the team’s bottom six this season, MacLean has suited up in a total of seven games for New York, managing one goal and 14 hits in total.

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Metropolitan Notes: Seeler, Walker, Konecny, Mayfield

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The Flyers have a pair of fairly valuable defenders on expiring deals in Nick Seeler and Sean Walker. Despite being in a playoff position and ahead of schedule in their rebuild, the Flyers will likely ship at least one of them out to capitalize on their trade value ahead of the March 8 trade deadline. It’s trending toward Walker being the odd man out, as they’ve yet to formally engage in extension discussions with Walker’s agents, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports Saturday.

Pagnotta notes that the Flyers have talked to Seeler’s representation about an extension. The two defenders have formed one of the unlikeliest value pairings in the league this year, logging over 500 minutes together with a sparkling 56.5 expected goals percentage, per MoneyPuck. The 30-year-old, who’s found his way back into a full-time NHL role after going without a contract for the entire 2020-21 campaign, carries a $775K cap hit and will earn a multi-million dollar raise on his next deal, whether it’s with Philly or somewhere else.

Walker being the likelier one to move makes sense with the state of the trade market, however. He’s considerably more expensive with a $2.65MM cap hit, but he’s also a coveted right-shot defender with significantly more offensive upside than the shutdown-only Seeler. As such, he’ll fetch more value in return. Pagnotta says the Bruins may have interest if it becomes clear he’ll hit the trade market, where he would serve as a third-pairing anchor behind Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Flyers winger Travis Konecny is absent from Saturday’s game against the Rangers, and he’ll miss Sunday’s tilt against the Penguins as well, per Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period. Konecny is listed as day-to-day with a minor upper-body injury sustained during practice this week. The 26-year-old is not expected to miss significant time. In his eighth NHL season, Konecny leads Philadelphia in scoring with 27 goals and 54 points in 57 games.
  • Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and is not in the lineup against the Lightning today, per the team. Mayfield did not appear to miss a shift in the Isles’ last game, a 4-0 loss to the Blues on Thursday. In the first season of a seven-year, $24.5MM contract, Mayfield has missed 16 total games to leg and upper-body injuries. He’s also struggled to produce, going without a goal in 41 games while recording five assists and a -7 rating. Reserve defender Sebastian Aho re-entered the Isles’ lineup in a third-pairing role today after serving as a healthy scratch for six of their past seven games.

Islanders Assign Samuel Bolduc And Hudson Fasching To AHL

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The New York Islanders have assigned defenseman Samuel Bolduc and forward Hudson Fasching to the Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL on conditioning assignments.

For Bolduc, the assignment comes after a stretch of seven straight games in which he has served as a healthy scratch for the Islanders. The native of Laval, Quebec hasn’t played since January 27th against the Florida Panthers and hasn’t been overly effective when he has been in the lineup, posting just a goal and two assists in 33 games. The move likely means that Bolduc will get plenty of playing time in Bridgeport over the next couple of weeks.

Fasching was given a conditioning assignment just two days after he was placed on the long-term injured reserve. The Islanders placed Fasching on the LTIR retroactive to January 25th which means he won’t return to the NHL lineup until February 29th at the earliest. Fasching skated with the team late last week for a few days before becoming ill.

The 28-year-old has three goals and five assists in 35 games this season and was hoping to establish himself as an everyday NHLer this year after posting career highs last season for games, goals, and assists. His offensive numbers have dipped a little bit this season, however many of his underlying numbers have fallen dramatically.

Islanders Injury Notes: Bortuzzo, Fasching, Cizikas

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New York Islanders defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has suffered a setback in his recovery from a high-ankle sprain that’s already forced him out of the team’s last 18 games. He is now out indefinitely, per general manager Lou Lamoriello. Bortuzzo was moved to long-term injured reserve earlier this week.

This news comes as a tough blow to not only Bortuzzo – who’s only played 15 games this season – but the Islanders defense, which acquired Bortuzzo in late November in an attempt to add depth in the face of injuries. It’s been a long season for the Islanders, who have seen six of the nine defenders currently on their roster, including Bortuzzo, miss games due to injury. They’re now back to a mostly healthy form, with Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock both returning from long-term absences.

Other New York Islanders notes:

  • Lou Lamoriello also shared that the Islanders may send Hudson Fasching to the AHL on a brief conditioning stint before activating him off of injured reserve. Fasching has been out since January 25th with illness and, thanks to his place on long-term IR, won’t be eligible to return until February 29th at the earliest. The 28-year-old winger has eight points through 35 NHL games this season.
  • Casey Cizikas will be evaluated when the Islanders return to New York for a hand injury suffered in the team’s Tuesday game against Pittsburgh. Cizikas sustained the injury while blocking a shot from Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, and immediately left the game. Yesterday the team recalled Kyle MacLean to serve as depth if Cizikas can’t play on Thursday. Cizikas has 12 points, split evenly, through 44 games this season and recently returned from a lower-body injury that held him out for 10 games.

Islanders Recall Kyle MacLean

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The Islanders have recalled forward Kyle MacLean from AHL Bridgeport, per a team announcement Wednesday.

MacLean is expected to center New York’s fourth line while Casey Cizikas, who sustained a hand injury in Tuesday’s win over the Penguins, does not yet have a timeline for a return. Winger Hudson Fasching was moved to LTIR on Wednesday morning in anticipation of MacLean’s recall, opening up a necessary roster spot and space in their LTIR salary pool.

The 24-year-old skated in Cizikas’ normal spot for six games in January and February while the latter was sidelined with a lower-body injury. They were the first appearances of his NHL career, in which he scored once on three shots on goal while averaging 8:11 per game.

MacLean, the son of Islanders assistant coach John MacLean, struggled in the faceoff dot with a 31.8 win percentage. His possession numbers were mixed – he had a poor 47.8 CF% and -6.4 relative CF% at even strength but managed an even expected rating.

While MacLean occupied the same spot in the lineup as Cizikas, his usage was quite different. Cizikas has started just 16.4% of his shifts in the offensive zone at even strength this year, while MacLean’s oZS% was 63.3.

Five of MacLean’s six appearances came under new head coach Patrick Roy. The outgoing Lane Lambert was fired on Jan. 20, the day after MacLean’s NHL debut against the Blackhawks.

Since returning to Bridgeport in early February, MacLean had three assists and a -1 rating in five games. Now in his fourth season with the Isles’ primary affiliate, MacLean has six goals and 22 points in 43 games on the season, setting the highest points-per-game mark of his professional career.

MacLean is waivers-exempt after signing his entry-level contract with the Islanders last May, so he can be shuffled between leagues at will. He will have arbitration rights this summer if he reaches RFA status upon completion of his one-year, $800K deal.

Islanders Place Hudson Fasching On LTIR

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  • The Islanders moved winger Hudson Fasching to LTIR on Wednesday, per a team announcement. The move is retroactive to Jan. 25; he’s missed seven games with a lower-body injury and is now dealing with an illness. He has been ruled out of the Islanders’ next three contests as a result and will be eligible to return on Feb. 29 against the Red Wings. Placing him on LTIR frees up the necessary roster and cap space for the Islanders to recall a forward from AHL Bridgeport after fourth-line anchor Casey Cizikas sustained a hand injury in last night’s win in Pittsburgh. Fasching, 28, has scored three times and added five assists in 35 games.

Trade Deadline Primer: New York Islanders

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With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is now just a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the New York Islanders.

The New York Islanders have already made their big splash of the new year, hiring legendary goaltender Patrick Roy to take over for Lane Lambert, who was in his second year with the team. Roy has provided energy and spunk to an Islanders team that needed a jolt. He’s also boosted the ice time of key players like Mathew Barzal and Noah Dobson, helping give the team clear leaders to follow. Unfortunately, Roy hasn’t seen the on-ice results just yet. New York is 3-3-3 under their new brass, which also features new coach Benoit Desrosiers, and has seen a dip in their scoring, averaging an even 3.00 goals-per-game under Roy, a step down from the 3.13 goals-per-game they averaged since the start of December under Lambert. This lack of improvement has kept the Islanders on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff race, six points behind the second Wild Card, currently held onto by Detroit. The Islanders will look to bring in whatever help they can at the looming Trade Deadline but it seems the real difference-maker may have to come from within.

Record

22-18-14, 5th in the Metropolitan Division.

Deadline Status

Conservative Sellers

Deadline Cap Space

$0.0MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: NYI 1st, NYI 2nd, NYI 4th, NYI 5th, NYI 6th
2025: NYI 1st, NYI 2nd, NYI 3rd, NYI 4th, NYI 5th, NYI 6th, NYI 7th

Trade Chips

The Islanders are bound by the cap this Deadline, and unlikely to make any move if they can’t clear out space first. There are plenty of options for high-cap hits that they could move out, though each would likely need a hefty sweetener attached that New York might not be able to pay. Jean-Gabriel Pageau may be the most likely cap clearance. The 31-year-old centerman makes a hefty $5MM through the end of the 2025-26 season but has just 22 points and a -11 through 54 games this season to show for it. Pageau has served a proud role as a middle-six centerman for the Islanders, and scored a commendable 13 goals and 40 points last season, but decreased production this year could make the cap space more valuable than Pageau’s role. The same could be said about newcomer Pierre Engvall, whose $3MM cap hit is slightly less daunting and whose role as a middle-six winger is slightly easier to fill. Engvall has just 17 points in 48 games this season, bringing his point totals with the Islanders up to 26 across a combined 66 games. He’s looked strong at times but may better fit on a contender looking to add depth. Teams could also be flattered by Engvall’s long-term contract, with the 27-year-old winger signed through the next seven seasons.

Unfortunately, New York doesn’t boast much future capital to make any cap clearance work. The team does have both their first and second-round picks in the next two drafts, and general manager Lou Lamoriello has shown little hesitancy in moving top picks for immediate solutions, but the asking price to move out such hefty contracts could be a little too sweet. Ruslan Iskhakov could be a strong incentive for other teams. The 23-year-old centerman currently leads the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders in scoring with 13 goals and 35 points. It’s his second season in the AHL, with Iskhakov netting 51 points in 69 games last year. He’s an established pro, with experience in Finland’s Liiga and Germany’s DEL, where he again proved to be one of his team’s most productive players. The 2018 second-round pick has yet to receive the first call-up of his career, though he certainly seems poised to make an impact when given the chance. The prospects of what could be from such a productive, young professional could excite teams enough to take some of New York’s baggage.

Team Needs

1) Build For The Future – The season isn’t doomed for the Islanders, but it’s certainly not looking as optimistic as past years. With the team locked into so many long-term deals with veterans, it’s time they turn their attention towards the future and bank whatever draft capital or young prospects that they can. The Islanders currently have the fourth-oldest roster in the NHL, behind Pittsburgh, Washington, and Edmonton. While clearing cap space will give them the chance to bring change-makers into the NHL lineup quickly, building out their prospect pool will help New York slowly add youth back into the fold. Their best bet may be to find lucrative options, like trading for lucrative and emerging prospects like Florida seventh-round pick Jack Devine, who has 44 points in 30 NCAA games this year. The Islanders could also look to reel in some of the young targets on the open market, like Arthur Kaliyev, Philip Broberg, or Kaapo Kakko. Each 22-year-old has their own degree of uncertainty but may be able to carve out a long-term NHL role with a change of scenery. Finding options to fit the team in two or three years would be a good start to an Islanders team currently without much reinforcement.

2) A Solution On Defense – The Islanders have surprisingly struggled to keep pucks out of the net, even despite star goaltender Ilya Sorokin’s .910 save percentage in 39 games this season. That problem has remedied itself a little bit under Patrick Roy – with New York’s average goals allowed sat at 3.22 over their last nine games, as opposed to 3.61 in Lambert’s final 23 games. But they’re still being outscored at a steady pace and rank as one of the NHL’s worst teams at mounting a comeback, with the eighth-worst win percentage when trailing by two goals. New York tried to remedy this issue earlier in the season, trading for Robert Bortuzzo, but Bortuzzo played in just 11 games with the Islanders before ending up on injured reserve. While they aren’t plagued with the long list of injured defensemen that troubled them earlier in the season, New York is still in need of a more cohesive blue line. They could find cheap ways to address this on the open market by acquiring stalwart defender Ilya Lyubushkin or Andrew Peeke. Both players carry a $2.75MM cap hit, though Lyubushkin is set to be a free agent this summer while Peeke is signed through next season. And while neither would demand a top-pairing role, they could each offer a new face to a struggling Islanders defense. The team could also seek out Flyers defender Nick Seeler, who carries a league-minimum $775K cap hit and enters free agency in the summer. Seeler could similarly help provide consistency to the bottom of New York’s defense, while likely not costing much at all. With very little wiggle room and even fewer assets, the Islanders will have to hope for a cheap deal at the Deadline if they want to make a push for the playoffs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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