- Matthew Tkachuk ended up traded to the Florida Panthers, but that trade didn’t come without attempts from other teams to secure his services. One of those teams, per Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest, is the New York Islanders. Strickland reports that the Islanders showed “significant interest” in Tkachuk but ultimately could not or did not complete a deal. The Islanders have been highly secretive in recent years when it comes to their offseason plans, something that should be expected of any team run by legendary GM Lou Lamoriello. But if his reported interest in Tkachuk is any indication, the Islanders are going hunting for a big-name addition this summer. Could free agent center Nazem Kadri be in their plans?
Islanders Rumors
Latest On Islanders, Nazem Kadri
- Nazem Kadri scored 87 points last season and also won the Stanley Cup. Yet as the calendar is set to turn to August, he remains without a contract for next season. According to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast, the New York Islanders “are in it” with regard to Kadri, and Kadri’s former team, the Colorado Avalanche, remain interested but are unlikely to move defenseman Samuel Girard in order to create the necessary cap room, as some have speculated they’d do. Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello is notoriously secretive when it comes to his offseason dealings, so it’s possible that the negotiations with Kadri and the Islanders are farther along than anybody truly knows. But based on Friedman’s reporting, we know that they’re at least actively interested in adding Kadri to a center corps that already boasts Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Casey Cizikas.
New York Islanders Hire John MacLean; Will Not Bring In Brian Wiseman
The New York Islanders have made an unexpected change to their coaching staff, hiring John MacLean as an assistant. That may raise some eyebrows, after an announcement just a few weeks ago that Lane Lambert’s assistants this season would be Brian Wiseman and Doug Houda. Wiseman, the Islanders say, will not be joining the staff after all.
MacLean spent last season with the San Jose Sharks as part of Bob Boughner’s staff, even stepping in as interim head coach while Boughner dealt with COVID-19 near the beginning of the year. The veteran coach has also spent time with the Arizona Coyotes, Carolina Hurricanes, and New Jersey Devils over his two decades behind the bench.
It’s in New Jersey where MacLean also made his hay during his playing days, as the sixth-overall pick in 1983. He spent parts of 14 seasons with the Devils, playing 934 games and scoring 701 points. That, plus his short time with the New York Rangers, means he’s certainly familiar with the rivalries that he’ll once again be part of on the east coast.
The team did not give any explanation for why Wiseman is not joining the staff.
Latest On Nazem Kadri
One destination rumored for Kadri has been the New York Islanders, and The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz says one league source confirmed to The Athletic that there are rumblings the Islanders have been making a push for Kadri (subscription required). Bringing Kadri into the fold would make sense for the Islanders, the team needing to improve its underperforming forward group and Kadri a two-way force that spent several seasons under Islanders’ GM Lou Lamoriello when both were with the Toronto Maple Leafs. On the other hand, the center position is pretty well cemented on Long Island, Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Casey Cizikas representing their core. On moving one of those five to the wing, one NHL coach told Kurz that Kadri is a center, not entertaining the idea of moving him to a wing, while an NHL scout wouldn’t consider the idea of moving Barzal off center, but did mention Brock Nelson, a sniper who scored 37 goals this season, as an option for the wing. Of course, all of this is hypothetical, with Kadri still very much a free agent, but the rumblings linking Kadri to the Islanders adds another wrinkle to the ever-developing story.
- Former star forward, assistant coach, and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Scott Gomez sat down with NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky to discuss his current career and his interest in returning to the NHL in some capacity (link). Since stepping away from his job as assistant coach with the Islanders in 2019, Gomez has worked with ELEV802, a company that builds small ice rink surfaces for children. As much as Gomez seems to enjoy his current role, he expressed interest in returning to the NHL, ideally in a team’s player development office, wanting to work with players individually, adding how important those in that role were to him in his development.
Andrew Ladd Unsure About Playing Next Season
It has been a tough last few seasons for Coyotes winger Andrew Ladd who has struggled to stay healthy and struggled to produce when he has been in the lineup. While he still has one year left on his contract, Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that the veteran is unsure if he wants to play out that final season; his agent J.P. Barry indicated that a decision will be made later this summer when the time comes to start ramping up training in preparation for the season.
The 36-year-old was moved from the Islanders to the Coyotes last summer as New York was looking to free up some much-needed cap space. From an on-ice perspective, the move worked out reasonably well for Ladd who stayed in the NHL all season and got into 51 games after seeing action in just four the year before. Of course, his production (seven goals and five assists) is hardly worthy of the $6.5MM AAV he carried.
Ladd is owed a $3MM signing bonus this summer (which may have already been paid as a lot of bonuses are due at the start of the league year) plus a $1MM base salary which are the numbers that matter most to Arizona, a team that is looking to limit their spending as they go through an extended rebuild. If that money comes off the books, it’s quite possible that they’d turn around and make another trade to take on another undesirable contract as GM Bill Armstrong has done on several occasions already.
The Islanders will also be keeping tabs on this situation. As part of the trade that sent Ladd and two second-round picks (used on defensemen Janis Moser and Mattias Havelid), New York also put in a conditional third-round selection in 2023. Per CapFriendly, that pick will go to the Coyotes if Ladd does not play in any professional games in 2022-23 while under his current contract, or does not retire prior to the conclusion of the 2022-23 regular season. As a result, this situation will be one to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
New York Islanders Expected To "Competitively" Pursue Johnny Gaudreau If Available
- If and when superstar free agent Johnny Gaudreau hits the free agent market on Wednesday, he will be one of the most sought-after players to ever go to free agency, with no shortage of suitors. One of those suitors, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports, will be the New York Islanders, who he believes will “competitively” pursue the winger. It’s no secret that the Islanders have been looking for offense and a dynamic winger to play with Mathew Barzal, especially after missing the playoffs following back-to-back trips to the Conference Finals. Bringing in a player like Gaudreau would solve many of those problems of course, but having just under $11.2MM in salary cap space while needing to sign RFA defensemen Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov, a Gaudreau signing would necessitate another move to shed salary on the Island.
New York Islanders Not Expected To Shop Josh Bailey
- From a player who seems on his way to a new team to a player who appears to be staying with his one and only team, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that the New York Islanders are not only not shopping forward Josh Bailey, but he may not be available altogether. The veteran winger has been a staple in the Islanders’ lineup for 14 years and has two more years at $5MM left on his contract. With the team needing to clear some cap space if they want to add offense and re-sign RFA defensemen Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov, Bailey had been rumored to be an expendable piece with a relatively significant cap hit the team could cut out.
New York Islanders Re-Sign Seven Players
On an otherwise quiet Saturday night, the New York Islanders have decided to get a bulk of their lower-priority offseason business done. The team has, per CapFriendly and PuckPedia, finalized contract extensions for a whopping seven players: defensemen Robin Salo, Sebastian Aho, and Grant Hutton, forwards Andy Andreoff, Otto Koivula, and Jeff Kubiak, and goalie Ken Appleby.
Salo, 23, got a two-year extension carrying an $800k cap hit in each year, with a $750k salary in 2022-23 and a $850k salary in 2023-24. Salo was the 46th overall pick at the 2017 draft after a successful season as an 18-year-old playing full-time in the Finnish Liiga. Salo was a long-term project pick, and he spent three seasons in Liiga before spending 2020-21 manning the blue line for Orebro in the SHL. That wealth of professional experience helped Salo make a smooth transition to North America. He began the year with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, quickly becoming one of their most relied-upon defensemen. At the AHL level, Salo finished second on the team with 21:05 time-on-ice per game, including 3:27 average time on ice on the power play. Salo was reasonably productive, with 20 points in 41 games, and his instant success at the AHL level earned him time with the Islanders at the NHL level. There, he averaged nearly 17 minutes of ice time per game and even got some time on the power play. Salo will get the chance to make the Islanders’ opening-night roster at training camp and, should he make it, will be a great help to the Islanders’ cap situation with his highly manageable $800k cap hit.
Aho, 26, was a frequent healthy scratch for the Islanders this season, although his role as the team’s spare defender kept him on the NHL and away from Bridgeport for the entirety of 2021-22. In total, Aho got into 36 games and posted 12 points. He averaged 16:27 time on ice per game and averaged 44 seconds of time on the power play, only getting time there in very specific circumstances. Aho is an undersized defenseman, but his ability in transition and production in the AHL has kept him as a reliable depth piece in New York. Aho’s extension is two years, $825k AAV.
The Islanders also re-signed Hutton, a 26-year-old undrafted player who found a home in the Islanders’ organization after a successful four-year stint at Miami University of Ohio, a team he captained his senior year. Hutton got into 16 NHL games this year and scored his first NHL goal, but he averaged only 14 minutes of time on ice per game and did not earn the trust of coach Barry Trotz. Hutton had 20 points in 46 AHL games, skating as a top-four defenseman at that level, and with the extension should remain a depth piece for the Islanders moving forward. Hutton’s deal is a three-year, $775k AAV extension that interestingly is a one-way contract for the final two years it runs. (PuckPedia link)
The next player the Islanders have reportedly re-signed is forward Andy Andreoff. Andreoff, 31, is a veteran of 185 NHL games and has proven himself as a reliable AHL scorer. Andreoff had 18 goals and 42 points for the Bridgeport Islanders, good for fourth on the team. Andreoff ranked fifth in Bridgeport in short-handed time on ice per game, and earned a two-year, two-way extension. His extension carries a $762k cap hit and holds total guarantees of $375k per year.
The second of three forwards the Islanders have re-signed is Koivula, a 23-year-old 2016 fourth-round pick. Koivula, who represented his native Finland at two IIHF World Junior Championships, is coming off a year where he ranked second on the Bridgeport Islanders in scoring with 47 points in 56 games. Koivula’s skating has thus far kept him from breaking into the NHL full-time, although he did get into eight games with the big club in 2021-22. Standing at six-five, 225 pounds, Koivula has intriguing size and has blossomed into a top-of-the-lineup offensive player at the AHL level. Koivula’s extension is a two-year deal with an $800k AAV. It will be a two-way deal in 2022-23 with a $750k cap hit before becoming a one-way deal in 2023-24 with an $850k cap hit.
The final forward the Islanders re-signed is Jeff Kubiak. The 28-year-old has been in the Islanders’ system since he graduated from Cornell University in 2017 and has worked his way up from the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Worcester Railers. Kubiak’s offensive game is not what earned him this one-year, $750k deal. (PuckPedia link) It’s his defense, as he’s become a true defensive specialist with AHL Bridgeport. There, Kubiak ranked first among team forwards with nearly three minutes of short-handed ice time per game, anchoring a penalty kill that ranked in the top half of the AHL with an 81.5% success rate. Kubiak may not have true NHL upside to his game but he’s become an important specialist player for the Islanders’ AHL squad.
Finally, the last player the Islanders have re-signed is goaltender Ken Appleby. Appleby, 27, bounced between the AHL and ECHL levels in 2021-22, posting solid numbers with each affiliate. At the AHL level, Appleby had a .928 save percentage in nine games, and he had a .918 in 27 games in the ECHL. Appleby earned a two-year, $762k AAV deal that carries a $125k guarantee in year one and a $130k guarantee in year two, according to PuckPedia.
As noted, information on the extensions is courtesy of CapFriendly and PuckPedia. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lamoriello: Intention Is To Keep Varlamov For Next Season
- With Ilya Sorokin establishing himself as the starter for the Islanders, some have wondered if Semyon Varlamov could be a trade candidate this summer, especially with there being strong demand for goaltending help. However, GM Lou Lamoriello told reporters including Ethan Sears of the New York Post that his intention remains to keep the tandem intact for next season. Varlamov carries a $5MM cap hit through next season but New York has enough cap space to round out their defense – including new deals for RFAs Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov – without needing to create any extra flexibility.
Montreal Canadiens Acquire Kirby Dach
Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has made his splash. The Canadiens have dealt defenseman Alexander Romanov and pick 98 to the New York Islanders for the 13th pick. They then sent pick 13 and 66 to Chicago for center Kirby Dach. The teams have all announced the trades.
This is an absolute whopper of a three-team deal. The Blackhawks, who already acquired a first-rounder earlier today, add a second top-fifteen pick in exchange for Dach, the third-overall pick in 2019. They also add the 66th pick as part of the deal as well. For Chicago, this is another move for Kyle Davidson in his quest to add more long-term future assets. Dach was a promising prospect but a mix of injuries and underperformance is what has led to this trade. The Blackhawks, who entered today with no first round picks, have now amassed a small stockpile of picks in very short order.
For the Islanders, GM Lou Lamoriello adds a young defenseman who plays the sort of highly physical, rugged game that the Islanders covet. Romanov, 22, was a second-rounder at the 2018 draft and already has 133 NHL games to his name. His offensive upside is still up for debate, but he has played an increasingly important role in Montreal and should step into the Islanders defense and play immediately. There were defensemen set to be available at thirteenth overall, but Lamoriello and the Islanders seemingly preferred a more NHL-ready option with that pick.
In Dach, the Canadiens add a player who only a few years ago was the third-overall pick. Dach is a big center who starred for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL, scoring 72 points in 62 games in his final season there. Dach has struggled in the NHL, perhaps a signal that he should have spent more time developing in Saskatoon before making the transition to the professional game. Dach has 59 points in 152 games and it could be that a change of scenery is exactly what he needs to get his career back on track. It’s a major risk for the Canadiens, as they’re spending a top-fifteen pick on a player who has thus far struggled to be a difference-maker at the NHL level. That being said, if the Canadiens’ evaluation of Dach is correct, they could be adding the type of big, top-six center that is coveted by most GMs and unlikely to be available to them at pick 13.