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Archives for February 2023

Five Key Stories: 1/30/23 – 2/5/23

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The calendar has flipped to February and there was an uptick in activity around the NHL even with the All-Star break with those moves being highlighted in our key stories of the week.

Capitals Extend Two: It has taken Dylan Strome a while to find some stability but he has it now as the center inked a five-year, $25MM extension with Washington.  Strome was non-tendered by Chicago last summer and opted for a one-year, $3.5MM pact with the Caps, a move that has certainly worked out well for both sides.  The 25-year-old has 36 points in 51 games so far and will be a part of Washington’s plans down the middle for the foreseeable future.  Meanwhile, after having to take a two-way deal with the Capitals earlier in the season, Sonny Milano has earned a better second contract with them, agreeing to a three-year extension that carries a $1.9MM AAV.  Since being recalled in early November, the 26-year-old has been a good secondary producer, picking up 22 points in 40 games.

NHL Comeback: It has been a while since defenseman Nikita Tryamkin has played in the NHL – 2016-17 to be exact – but it’s possible that he’ll be back soon.  His agent indicated that the 28-year-old has declined an extension from Yekaterinburg of the KHL and that his focus is returning to play in the NHL next season.  In the past, his name has come up but as a restricted free agent, his options were either signing with Vancouver or hoping for a trade.  Now, Tryamkin is an unrestricted free agent in North America, giving him more options.  The 6’8 blueliner has 10 points in 57 KHL games this season and had 11 in 79 contests with the Canucks over parts of two seasons.

New Home For Horvat: One of the big trade dominoes fell as the Islanders acquired center Bo Horvat from Vancouver in exchange for winger Anthony Beauvillier, prospect center Aatu Raty, and a 2023 protected first-rounder (that becomes an unprotected 2024 pick if it’s not conveyed this year).  Vancouver also retained 25% of Horvat’s $5.5MM AAV, basically making the cap implications this season a wash.  The pending UFA is in the middle of a career year with 31 goals and 23 assists in 49 games but wasn’t able to come to terms on an extension with the Canucks.  While he hasn’t suited up for his new team yet, he quickly signed up for the long haul, agreeing to an eight-year, $68MM extension, ensuring their new one-two punch down the middle that also includes Mathew Barzal will be in place for years to come.  Meanwhile, the Canucks pick up a middle-six winger in Beauvillier, arguably New York’s top prospect in Raty, and a first-rounder as they look to kick-start a rebuild.

Key Injuries: Mark Stone has been a key player when healthy for the Golden Knights but staying in the lineup has proved to be challenging.  The veteran has now undergone back surgery with no timetable for his return.  It’s the second year in a row that the 30-year-old has had back surgery.  Despite missing eight games, Stone is second on the team in scoring and his absence will make it tougher for Vegas as they battle for top spot in the Pacific.  He’s eligible to be placed on LTIR which could open up $9.5MM in space for the Golden Knights but only if they know that he won’t be back for the rest of the year.  It’s too early for them to make that determination now.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets ruled out winger Gustav Nyquist for the remainder of the regular season due to a shoulder injury.  However, it’s expected that he will be able to return for the playoffs.  That won’t be happening in Columbus – they’re dead last in the East – but it does open up a window for them to still be able to trade him as long as it’s to a team with enough cap or LTIR room to accommodate his $5.5MM AAV.  The market will be weaker than what it would have been had he been healthy but Columbus should still be able to pick up a conditional pick.

Hull Dies: Hall of Fame winger Bobby Hull passed away at the age of 84.  He led the NHL in scoring three times with Chicago (including getting the Hart Trophy in 1965) and scored over 600 goals with them in 15 years.  Hull then jumped ship to the WHA where he spent seven more years in Winnipeg, scoring another 300 goals including a 77-goal campaign in 1974-75.  He was the first hockey player to receive a contract worth a million dollars, inking a ten-year contract worth $1.5MM per season.  Hull briefly returned to the NHL when the WHA merged with the NHL in 1979 and hung up his skates at the age of 41.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sharks Trade Jaycob Megna To Kraken

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The Kraken have made a move to add some defensive depth as they’ve acquired defenseman Jaycob Megna from San Jose in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round draft pick.  Both teams have confirmed the swap.

The 30-year-old had been a regular for the Sharks for most of the season, playing in a career-high 48 games.  He chipped in a goal with 11 assists along with 63 blocks and 75 hits while averaging more than 19 minutes per contest.  It’s unlikely that Megna will see that much ice time with Seattle as he is likely to be more of a depth defender with the Kraken when everyone is healthy.  Megna has played in 135 NHL contests between Anaheim and San Jose for his career, collecting four goals and 21 assists.

Megna represents a low-cost depth addition for Seattle, both in terms of the acquisition cost and salary.  On the contract front, he’s in the first season of a two-year, minimum-salary deal with an AAV of $762,500.  Next season, that will be below the league minimum which will give him some extra value.  As for the draft pick, Seattle will get to choose between sending their fourth-round selection or Colorado’s and will be required to make that choice by June 15th.

At the moment, Seattle had been carrying the minimum of six healthy defenders on the roster thanks to the injury to Justin Schultz that has kept him out of the lineup for the last couple of weeks.  Megna will battle Cale Fleury for playing time in Schultz’s absence.  The Kraken had two open roster spots prior to the swap so no corresponding move will need to be made to add him to their lineup.

Snapshots: Penguins, Stauber, Avalanche, Duclair

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If the Penguins are going to be buyers for next month’s trade deadline, there’s at least one key asset that they’re not willing to move.  Speaking with reporters including Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, GM Ron Hextall stated that they won’t be willing to move their first-round pick.  At this time, Hextall plans to try to add a piece if he can, stating that “If we can do something to make us better this year, I’m looking to do it”.  However, with limited space to work with (they have just $1.35MM in LTIR space at the moment per CapFriendly), any move they’re looking to make at this point is probably going to be of the depth variety.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Blackhawks announced that they have recalled goaltender Jaxson Stauber from AHL Rockford. The 23-year-old was sent down over the All-Star break but didn’t see any game action with the IceHogs during that stretch.  Stauber won his first two career NHL starts last month, allowing just four goals on 67 shots and has a 3.06 GAA and a .896 SV% in ten minor league contests.
  • There’s some good news on the horizon for the Avalanche when it comes to the injury front. Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Bowen Byram and winger Valeri Nichushkin will return on Tuesday against Colorado.  Byram has missed the last 38 games due to a lower-body injury but had been logging nearly 21 minutes a night in his first ten appearances where he picked up five points.  Nichushkin, meanwhile, returns from his second ankle injury of the year.  He has been quite productive when he has been in the lineup, collecting 18 points in 20 games.  Meanwhile, it’s also possible that blueliner Josh Manson accompanies the team on the trip; he has been out for more than two months with a lower-body injury.
  • The Panthers are hopeful that winger Anthony Duclair will be able to rejoin the team for practice this week, notes Katie Engelson of Bally Sports Florida (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the entire season so far as he recovered from a torn Achilles.  Last season, Duclair had a career year with 31 goals and 27 assists and Florida could really use him back as they look to get back into the playoff picture.  With Patric Hornqvist (concussion) on LTIR, they’re not currently in a spot where they need to trade someone in order to free up the cap space to activate Duclair when he’s ready to return.

PHR Mailbag: Dylan Larkin Edition

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With Bo Horvat off the market now following his trade (and subsequent extension), the intrigue surrounding Red Wings center Dylan Larkin has started to pick up.  To that end, there were a few questions about him in our latest mailbag callout.  Rather than squeeze answers these into yesterday’s column, let’s assess Larkin’s specific situation here instead.  The rest of the mailbag will run next weekend as usual.

joebad34: With Dylan Larkin having difficulties getting a new contract from Detroit, is he now on the trading block? What would be the asking price? Would the Sabres sending, #1, Mittelstadt, Olofsson, Krebs and the rights to Portillo or Johnson work, if the Sabres and Larkin agree to a deal?

So, let’s look at where things stand first.  It was reported latest last month that Larkin’s camp rejected an eight-year, $64MM extension.  At first glance, it could be inferred that he’s likely to be traded, especially since that offer represented a notable increase on his current $6.1MM AAV.  Not so fast.  Larkin told reporters (including ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski) earlier this week that he still sees himself as a Red Wing long-term and reiterated his hope to stay with his hometown team.

With that in mind, I would suggest that right now, he’s not on the trade block.  While I’m among the many that are stunned that an extension isn’t done yet, a month is still a fairly long time to get something done.  At this point, there’s no immediate rush to start soliciting offers; Plan A is still getting a deal signed.  Until things get to the point where an extension for sure isn’t getting done, I expect GM Steve Yzerman’s sole focus will be on the contract, not a trade.

Now, as to this trade proposal, you have too much going back.  Three players, a prospect, and a first-rounder is too much even with the expected premium that would be associated with doing a sign-and-trade.  I also wonder how much value the prospects have.  If Ryan Johnson’s heart is set on testing free agency this summer, how useful is he to Detroit, aside from the compensatory late second-round pick?  It’s a similar question for Erik Portillo who doesn’t have the compensatory pick option and frankly, the Red Wings are hoping Sebastian Cossa is their goalie of the future even with his first pro season not going the smoothest.

Out of the other pieces, I think a combo of Peyton Krebs, the first-round pick, and Casey Mittelstadt would be of interest to Detroit; I don’t sense Victor Olofsson would be the type of player Detroit would be willing to take on.  Is that enough for an extended Larkin?  I would say no but as a pure rental, that type of offer might get them in the mix if Detroit does wind up moving him and Buffalo decides to try to make a trade splash.

tigers22 2: What would possible packages be for Larkin and Bertuzzi if the Red Wings aren’t able to get new contracts with them done and decide to deal them?

The Horvat trade provides a pretty good idea of what Larkin’s trade market should be.  They’re in the same tier talent-wise (I know Horvat’s having a big year offensively but historically, they’re comparable), on somewhat close contracts, and are seeking a pretty big raise.  Horvat (with 25% retention) yielded a cap matcher (Anthony Beauvillier), a protected first-round pick, and a good prospect in Aatu Raty.  Larkin’s numbers aren’t as good but if Detroit was willing to retain 50% instead of the 25% Vancouver retained, that would help even out the difference.  There are too many teams to break down the same type of offer from but that would be a reasonable framework.

Then there’s Tyler Bertuzzi, a player whose value has probably taken a beating this season.  A year ago, he produced like a top-line winger.  This year, he can’t stay healthy and has just one goal in 17 games.  If you’re Detroit, you’re hyping last season’s numbers.  If you’re another team, you’re pointing at how poorly things have gone this season and are offering accordingly.  With 50% retention, I could see a team going as high a second-round pick if they think he can rebound and perhaps fit beyond this season.  I don’t expect there to be much more of a package than that though unless the acquiring team needs to send some money back.

Johnny Z: What do you think of Larkin being traded to Boston? A Horvat-type return would be DeBrusk, Brett Harrison, and a 23 1st for Larkin at 1/2 salary. Does that sound about right?

I really like the idea of Larkin to Boston in theory (again, this assumes an extension doesn’t get done).  Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci aren’t going to be around much longer and at some point, he’s going to need to be replaced.  Internally, their options are basically moving Pavel Zacha back down the middle and Charlie Coyle.  They’re both good players but neither of them are top centers.  Getting and extending Larkin would be a great outcome but fitting him and a re-signed David Pastrnak in could be tricky.

I’m not quite as bullish on the idea of him being a rental player.  Yes, this is a go-for-broke type of season but is an acquisition that pushes Krejci to the third line the right move to make?  If it’s a pure rental, I think a top-four defender might be the better way to go to work as injury insurance and really deepen that part of their lineup.  They’re the top-scoring team and the top defensive team so either way, it’s adding to an organizational strength but I think the back end is the thinner part to address.  Don’t get me wrong, Larkin as a rental would certainly help as well but it might not be the most optimal spot to address for a short-term upgrade.

As for the offer, I’m not sure Jake DeBrusk is someone that Boston wants to part with right now.  He’s at a considerably higher level than Beauvillier, a player some have suggested that the Isles were open to moving in the past just to get him off the books let alone for a return of quality.  That’s a sunk cost whereas DeBrusk is in the middle of a career year.  Mike Reilly is more of a salary ballast type of player.

Now, with Boston’s pick set to be considerably lower than New York’s, that prospect needs to be better than Raty.  I’m not sure Brett Harrison is, at least to a big enough extent.  I could see Detroit wanting Fabian Lysell here, especially if it’s a sign-and-trade while Mason Lohrei could be the difference-splitter as someone that could conceivably push for a spot with Detroit as soon as next season.  Is that an offer that would vault them to the top?  Perhaps not but it’d be high enough to have them legitimately in the bidding should the Red Wings get to that point if discussions on an extension with Larkin fall apart.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 02/05/23

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It’s the final day of the NHL All-Star break, with teams set to return to the ice tomorrow night. With twelve teams set to do battle and several beginning bye weeks, it’s clear we’re right in the thick of the NHL season. As teams prepare for a crucial stretch of games leading up to the trade deadline, clubs in minor and foreign leagues are making roster tweaks. We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • Stanley Cup champion Carter Rowney has signed an extension to remain with the Frankfurt Lions beyond this season. The 249-game NHL veteran, 33, is in his first season playing professionally in Europe after spending all of last year with the Red Wings. He’s been very good in Germany, scoring 17 goals and 46 points in 45 games, a mark that ranks him 6th on the DEL scoring leaderboard, tied with Red Bull Munich forward Yasim Ehliz.
  • HC Slovan Bratislava has brought in a replacement for the departed Carl Ackered on their blueline: Nate Kallen. The reigning Slovak champions signed Kallen, 25, to bring some two-way prowess to their back end. The 2020 Hobey Baker nominee arrives in Bratislava having spent this year with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners, where he posted 18 points in 34 games. It’s been a busy week for Slovan, as about a week ago the team made another signing, bringing in 2014 first-round pick Nikita Scherbak.
  • Former Winnipeg Jets prospect J.C. Lipon has signed an extension to remain with his current club, the DEL’s Straubing Tigers. Lipon has been a good fit in Bavaria since arriving from the KHL, scoring 17 goals and 29 points in 44 games, giving the team ample motivation to lock him down to this extension. The former Manitoba Moose alternate captain, who has nine NHL games on his resume, has helped the Tigers rank among the top teams in the DEL this season.
  • Grizzlies Wolfsburg, a team in the DEL, has reportedly signed a contract for next season with Chris Wilkie, a forward who plays for another team in their league: the Bietigheim Steelers. This is the former Florida Panthers prospect’s first professional season in Europe, and it has gone decently well. He ranks second on the Steelers in goal scoring with 12 in 36 games and offers experience from both his time as an AHL forward and from his days playing college hockey. Since the Steelers look like a real candidate for relegation to the DEL2 for next season, this reported contract gives Wilkie the chance to remain in the German top division.
  • The DEL’s Eisbaren Berlin are reportedly interested in signing Red Bull Munich forward Freddy Tiffels for next season. Tiffels is a former Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick who has spent the last half-decade as a DEL regular. He scored 49 points in 45 games last season but has seen his offense decline sharply this season to just 25 points in 45 games. Perhaps a change of scenery and a move to Berlin, as the team seems to be eyeing, could be what Tiffels needs to return to the top end of the scoring leaderboard.
  • Veteran DEL blueliner Dominik Bittner will reportedly leave his current club, Grizzlies Wolfsburg, and head to EHC Red Bull Munchen for next season. The 30-year-old has nearly 500 games of DEL experience under his belt, and has spent the last four seasons manning the blueline in Wolfsburg. He represented Germany at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and will head to the three-time DEL champions for next season.
  • Per a team announcement, French forward Justin Addamo has been released from his PTO with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and sent back to the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers. Adddamo, 24, is in his first professional season since leaving the college ranks. He’s done pretty well, scoring 18 goals and 25 points in 38 games, and will look to help the Nailers gain ground in the ECHL’s Central Division.
  • Forward Jimmy Soper has been traded to the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush, per the league’s official transactions report. Soper, 27, played one season for the Kitchener Rangers at the junior level and has worked his way up from Junior A to Canadian university hockey, to the SPHL, and now to the ECHL, where he’s become a solid offensive contributor. Soper, who brings offensive ability as well as an edge to his game, heads to Rapid City from the Norfolk Admirals. Soper was traded to the Admirals from the Tulsa Oilers for Tag Bertuzzi, the son of former NHLer Todd Bertuzzi and cousin of current Detroit Red Wing Tyler Bertuzzi. Soper scored 71 points in 105 games over two seasons in Tulsa, and now finds a new home in Rapid City to continue his ECHL career.
  • Aleksi Rekonen seems to have found a home in Czechia. The Finnish forward, a veteran of Liiga and the Swedish second division (HockeyAllsvenskan), has signed a contract extension to remain with his current club, HC Plzen, beyond this season. Rekonen has been solid for Plzen, scoring 10 goals and 29 points in 44 games, marks that rank second on the team in scoring.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Arizona Coyotes Send Dylan Guenther To WHL

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The Arizona Coyotes have assigned forward Dylan Guenther to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, per a team announcement. Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong issued the following statement regarding this transaction:

Just like the World Junior Championships where Dylan helped lead Canada to a gold medal, this is a tremendous opportunity for him to join a very good Seattle club, play top line minutes, and hopefully lead his team to a Memorial Cup. Dylan has played well for us this season and he has a very bright future with the Coyotes. We look forward to watching his development the rest of the season.

In a corresponding move, the Coyotes have recalled forward Jean-Sebastien Dea from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.

As PHNX’s Craig Morgan notes, Guenther was one game away from reaching enough games to accrue a year toward unrestricted free agent status, something that likely played a role in this decision. The Coyotes have already shaved a year off of his entry-level deal by playing him in more than nine games, but since they are now sending him to the WHL Guenther will need to wait a little longer to hit the open market, should that be a route he wishes to take.

The 19-year-old forward was drafted ninth overall by the Coyotes at the 2021 draft, with the pick the team got from the Vancouver Canucks as part of the Oliver Ekman-Larsson/Conor Garland trade. He starred for the Oil Kings the following season, scoring 91 points in 59 games en route a WHL championship.

Guenther made the Coyotes this season and finishes his season with them having played in a total of 33 games. He’s registered a healthy 15 points in that span, and now gets to return to the WHL with added confidence, having tested his mettle against the game’s best players.

Guenther joins the Seattle Thunderbirds, a team that surrendered a significant haul of draft picks to acquire him at the WHL’s trade deadline. The Thunderbirds are a Memorial Cup contender this season and one of the best teams in the WHL, boasting other top prospects such as Brad Lambert (WPG), Kevin Korchinski (CHI), Nolan Allan (CHI), Colton Dach (CHI), Reid Schaefer (EDM), Jordan Gustafson (VGK), Lucas Ciona (CGY), and Jared Davidson (MTL).

He has all the talent within himself and surrounding him to go on an extremely productive run to cap off what has been an encouraging season. He could even add some more silverware in the form of a Memorial Cup and/or WHL Championship after he already captured the World Junior Championships gold medal with Team Canada.

To fill Guenther’s spot on the roster, the Coyotes have recalled an AHL scorer, Dea. The 28-year-old has scored 19 goals and 37 points in 46 AHL games this season and was a top scorer for a Laval Rocket team last season that made it to the Calder Cup Semifinals. The AHL veteran has 33 NHL games on his resume and will now have the chance to skate in his first game in the world’s top league since 2020-21 when he played in one game for the Buffalo Sabres.

Filip Zadina Activated, Sent On Conditioning Stint

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02/05/23: With Adam Erne clearing waivers today, the Red Wings have recalled Zadina from his conditioning stint. He’ll be eligible to play in the Red Wings’ next game, which is Tuesday versus the Edmonton Oilers.

02/02/23: The Detroit Red Wings are on break, meaning Filip Zadina is going to get a bit of extra time to prepare for his return. The team activated the young forward today and loaned him to the Grand Rapids Griffins on a conditioning stint.

The loan can last up to two weeks, meaning Zadina can potentially play in five games before returning to the Red Wings.

Last appearing in a game on November 5, Zadina has been out for close to three months after blocking a shot against the New York Islanders. That means he’s only played nine games so far this year and has no points to show for it.

It’s been a tough career so far for the sixth-overall pick, with just 25 goals and 61 points in 169 games. Flashes of potential have come and gone without much consistent play at the NHL level. Last season he set career highs with ten goals and 24 points in 74 games, but those totals pale in comparison to the huge expectations he had coming out of junior.

Perhaps this latest injury gave him some time to readjust some things in his game and he’ll come back stronger, especially with the confidence that the Red Wings put in him last summer. Zadina signed a three-year deal that carries a $1.825MM cap hit in August.

New York Islanders Sign Bo Horvat To Eight-Year Contract Extension

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The New York Islanders have agreed to an eight-year contract extension with recent trade acquisition Bo Horvat. The terms of the contract have not been officially disclosed at this time, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the extension carries an $8.5MM average annual value. The deal will keep him under contract until he is 36 years old.

As reported by NYI Hockey Now’s Stefen Rosner, Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello had the following to say regarding this newly-signed extension: “It’s too long and it’s too much money.”

Lamoriello also noted that the contract was finalized as the first order of business this morning. When the Islanders initially acquired Horvat, the team had not yet discussed the framework for a contract extension.

The contract extension comes after the Islanders made a surprising trade to acquire the former Vancouver Canucks captain. The Islanders, who are already paying contracts with term attached to four centers, were not one of the teams most expected to be in the mix for Horvat’s services.

Given what the Islanders gave up to acquire Horvat, though, (a first-round pick Anthony Beauvillier, and prospect Aatu Raty) it makes sense that the team would be interested in retaining Horvat beyond this season.

The presence of Mathew Barzal ($9.15MM through 2031, kicking in next season), Brock Nelson ($6MM through 2025), Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($5MM through 2026) and Casey Cizikas ($2.5MM through 2027) didn’t stop Lamoriello from taking out his checkbook to pay for another pivot. With Horvat locked into the team’s forward core for the rest of the decade, it seems one of those Islanders will at least in the short term switch to the wing.

Horvat earns this max-term contract extension on the heels of the best offensive season of his career. Horvat’s career high in points is 61, and with 54 in 49 games this season he looks on pace to fly past that mark.

He already has 31 goals this year, which matches his previous high that he set last season. A two-time All-Star, Horvat is respected across the NHL for his leadership and two-way ability. Horvat has served as the Canucks’ captain for the past four years.

In his one taste of playoff action, he scored 12 points in 17 games, leading the Canucks to an upset victory over the St. Louis Blues in the first round and then through a seven-game dogfight where they nearly knocked off the first-seeded Vegas Golden Knights.

The playoffs are exactly where the Islanders are hoping to end up with Horvat, and despite long odds for this season this extension seems to be the franchise doubling down on their short-term competitive goals. It was only a short time ago that the Islanders looked like the second-best team in the NHL, losing back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the latter series going all seven games.

At the moment, the Islanders sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division with 25-22-5 record and 55 points. While they’re technically just two points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Wild Card spot, the Penguins have three games in hand, and the Buffalo Sabres (who are above the Islanders with 56 points) have two games in hand.

Even if the Islanders fail to make the playoffs this season, it’s true that this extension will improve their team’s odds of getting there in subsequent seasons. Horvat is an unquestionably talented player and someone who can be a great second-line pivot on a contending team. The Islanders have Barzal as their incumbent first-line center, though it’s possible that this signing shifts Barzal to Horvat’s wing.

Horvat is one of the league’s better players at the faceoff dot, and has won 56% of his draws this season. In contrast, Barzal has won just 35.9% of his draws. Should head coach Lane Lambert prefer a better face-off man as his first-line center, Barzal could very well end up on the wing moving forward.

The Islanders have quite a few pricey contracts for veteran forwards on their books, and this deal only adds to it. Barzal, Nelson, Pageau, Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Pulock, and Adam Pelech are all under contract beyond this season at above a $5MM cap hit. Horvat adds an $8.5MM hit on top of that and leaves the Islanders in a relatively precarious salary cap position.

With so much of their core locked into contracts, the team has been left with precious little wiggle room to make changes and upgrades to their roster. A rise in the salary cap would benefit them enormously, especially as Ilya Sorokin is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2024.

This is an Islanders team that has severely underperformed relative to what their veteran players have been capable of producing in the past. If Lambert and his coaching staff can get a few of these underperforming veterans to pick things up, then this can be a very competitive team in the near future.

But that’s far from a given, and many of their players have been trending downward for multiple seasons. Such a trajectory might cause some franchises to consider pivoting toward younger players and building toward another competitive window. Other franchises, like the Islanders here with this extension, choose to acquire more veteran talent to supplement the players they already have.

There’s no exact right answer to the question of what to do with an underperforming team. There are major risks to trading quality players for draft picks and prospects, and the allure of a low-pressure rebuild can shroud the very real possibility that the prospects acquired don’t pan out and the draft picks selected don’t meet expectations.

Building a competitive NHL team is hard. It’s a steep challenge, and while Lamoriello himself stated that the price tag attached to this deal is a bit high, it’s also unavoidable. Giving talented players contracts that might be somewhat unsavory is simply the cost of doing business in the NHL. if a team wants to get better, this is usually the area of the market they need to shop in.

Is this extension risky? Absolutely. The Islanders could continue their downward trend and be locked into another pricey contract for an aging veteran. The deal would absolutely be a setback. But looking at things more generously, Horvat could be exactly the kind of player the Islanders need to spark a team-wide resurgence.

Although those long-term question marks linger, the Islanders have unquestionably improved with Horvat’s acquisition. With this Horvat extension, they have ensured the source of that improvement doesn’t end up leaving for another team in just a few months, which is a bit of business that’s difficult to complain about.

Adam Erne Clears Waivers

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02/05/23: Erne has cleared waivers, according to CapFriendly. He’ll now be able to head to AHL Grand Rapids to continue his season.

02/04/23: While the Red Wings are off until Tuesday, they have made a roster move today as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve placed winger Adam Erne on waivers.

The 27-year-old has played in 43 games with Detroit so far this season, picking up six goals and eight assists while logging just shy of 14 minutes a night.  Those numbers are actually better than a year ago on a per-game basis while he has a chance of setting a career high in points if he stays in the NHL and produces at a similar pace the rest of the way.  Erne also has recorded 122 hits; his 2.84 per game average is a career best.

With that in mind, it might be a bit surprising to see him on waivers.  However, it’s not the riskiest of moves for GM Steve Yzerman as Erne carries a $2.1MM cap hit while he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.  While Erne would fit on quite a few teams in terms of roster needs, not many of them have enough cap room to try to add him.  Filip Zadina is currently on a conditioning loan with AHL Grand Rapids and it’s possible that he’d come back to take Erne’s place in the lineup.

Assuming he clears on Sunday, Erne would be the third veteran Red Wing to be buried in the minors in recent weeks.  Jakub Vrana cleared waivers a month ago today while Alex Nedeljkovic was unclaimed two weeks later.  Even with those players in the AHL where they still mostly count against Detroit’s salary cap, they project to finish the season with more than $6.5MM in cap space, per CapFriendly so it’s safe to say these moves aren’t cap-related.  The Red Wings have some good depth and as their team gets healthier, the roster crunch is starting to be felt.  Erne appears to be the next casualty of that.

New York Islanders Recall Simon Holmstrom, Samuel Bolduc

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02/05/23: The Islanders have brought Holmstrom and Bolduc back to their active roster today, per a team announcement. Raty, of course, is no longer eligible for the Islanders to recall because he was shipped to the Vancouver Canucks as part of the Bo Horvat trade.

Holmstrom played one game during his stint in Bridgeport during the break, registering two shots on goal in a 4-1 loss to the Hershey Bears. Bolduc also registered two shots in that contest, and now both find themselves back up on Long Island.

01/29/23: Expect a lot of teams to send their fringe roster players down to the minors today, with most having wrapped up their schedules before the All-Star break this weekend. The New York Islanders continue that trend, as the team announced Sunday they’ve loaned forwards Aatu Raty, Simon Holmstrom, and defenseman Samuel Bolduc to the Bridgeport Islanders.

The move is especially necessary for Bolduc, who is slated to participate in the AHL All-Star Classic, as Newsday’s Andrew Gross notes. After a rough 2021-22 season, the 2019 second-round pick has rebounded nicely with 26 points in 40 AHL games this year.

Called up last weekend as Noah Dobson went down with a lower-body injury, Bolduc played four consecutive games, his first in the NHL. He didn’t look entirely out of place, recording a +2 rating, four shots on goal, and an average ice time of 14:32 per night. If Dobson is ready to go by the time the break ends, though, expect Bolduc, who is waivers exempt, to stay in the minors.

Holmstrom and Raty, both just 21 and 20, respectively, haven’t produced much in their NHL stints this season, but that’s to be expected given their limited opportunities in the Islanders lineup.

The 20-year-old Raty fell to 52nd overall in the 2021 NHL Draft after once being viewed as a potential first-overall contender. Still, he’s done well in his first professional season in North America. He’s scored twice in 12 appearances with the Isles and has 15 points in 27 games down in Bridgeport.

Holmstrom also made his NHL debut this season, and he’s played 24 games in New York compared to just 15 in Bridgeport. The team’s 2019 first-round pick has three points (two of them goals) in those NHL appearances but has played less than 12 minutes a night in limited offensive roles.

Holmstrom and Raty could be recalled back to New York after the break concludes if injuries to Hudson Fasching, Cal Clutterbuck, and Oliver Wahlstrom persist.

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