Ilya Samsonov Clears Waivers
01/01/24: As expected, Samsonov has cleared waivers, according to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. As a result, he is now eligible for assignment to AHL Toronto.
12/31/23: The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed goaltender Ilya Samsonov on waivers. Samsonov’s last appearance came on December 29nd, when he allowed the Columbus Blue Jackets six goals on only 21 shots.
Samsonov’s placement on waivers was coupled with Toronto’s AHL club recalling ECHL goaltender Luke Cavallin, something that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman thinks may be a sign that Dennis Hildeby could receive a call-up to the NHL squad should Samsonov clear waivers. Hildeby has been gaining traction in the eyes of Toronto fans, setting a 7-5-3 record and .919 save percentage in the 15 AHL games he’s appeared in this season. The Swedish goaltender is in his first full season of North American hockey, after joining the AHL’s Toronto Marlies following the end of Farjestads’ 2022-23 season in the SHL. The 22-year-old goalie was prolific in Sweden’s top league last season, setting a .918 save percentage in 21 games with the top club. The Leafs drafted Hildeby in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. Like all players after pick 54 in that draft class, Hildeby has yet to make his NHL debut – something that could change soon with this recent roster moves.
Samsonov is placed on waivers after a series of disappointing games. The 26-year-old netminder currently carries a .862 save percentage through 15 games, second-worst in the league among goalies with 15-or-more games. The only goaltender with a worse save percentage is Antti Raanta, who was similarly waived earlier in the season. Samsonov is in his second season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, going to arbitration to earn a one-year, $3.6MM contract with the team for this season.
Eric Comrie Clears Waivers
01/01/24: Comrie has cleared waivers, according to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. He is now eligible for assignment to the Rochester Americans.
12/31/23: The Buffalo Sabres have placed goaltender Eric Comrie on waivers, opening up room for them to activate forward Zemgus Girgensons off of injured reserve. Girgensons has been out of the lineup since November 24th, battling with a lower-body injury.
Comrie’s waiving comes after Devon Levi‘s resurgence to the starter’s net. Top rookie Levi was briefly assigned to the AHL, playing in two games with the Rochester Americans where he saved 70 of a possible 76 shots, good for a .921 save percentage and 1-1 record. Levi has played in seven games since returning from the minor leagues, setting a 4-1-1 record and .906 save percentage. His new momentum has reestablished him as the Sabres’ starting goaltender, making Comrie’s roster spot expendable. Comrie has appeared in seven games with the Sabres this year, setting a dismal 1-5-0 record and .863 save percentage.
Comrie’s spot will now be used on Zemgus Girgensons, who is progressing in his return from an injury suffered midway through the team’s November 24th win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 29-year-old winger has appeared in 20 games with the Sabres this year, scoring two goals and recording seven penalty minutes. He’s in his 10th season with the Sabres, originally joining the team in the 2012 NHL Draft, when he was taken 14th-overall. Girgensons was apart of an interesting 10-15 range that year, which saw him drafted alongside players like Slater Koekkoek and Mikhail Grigorenko. Star players Tomas Hertl and Andrei Vasilevskiy were drafted only a few picks later, going 17 and 19 respectively.
Evening Notes: Tortorella, Askarov, Joseph, Suzdalev
Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella made history on Friday, become the eighth man to coach in 1,500 NHL games. The milestone was reached via a matchup with the Seattle Kraken that ended in a 2-1 overtime loss for the Flyers. But despite dropping his most recent game, Tortorella has been fantastically successful for much of the rest of this season, currently boasting a 19-11-5 record that has Philadelphia ranked third in the Metropolitan Division. This comes despite Philadelphia being considered one of the league’s rebuilders entering the season, with many expecting the team to start off slow under a new general manager and a second-year head coach.
But Tortorella has pulled the Flyers above their expectations, following an interesting pattern of missing the playoffs in his first full season with a new team but driving towards the post-season in his second year. Tortorella has done the same for every club that he’s coached for, save for the Vancouver Canucks, who he only spent one season with.
Tortorella joins an exclusive list by hitting the 1,500-game mark. Only seven other head coaches have hit the mark – and, interestingly, only three coaches in the Top 10 of games played are officially retired. Four coaches on the list are currently behind NHL benches – with Tortorella joined by Florida’s Paul Maurice, New Jersey’s Lindy Ruff, and New York’s Peter Laviolette. The list also features Barry Trotz, who is taking a break from coaching to serve as the Nashville Predators general manager, and Joel Quenneville and Darryl Sutter, who are both coaching free agents with differing levels of optimism around if they may coach again in the future.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Nashville Predators have sent top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov to the minor leagues. Askarov played in two games while with the Predators roster, saving 33 of a possible 35 shots. Askarov has also played in 15 AHL games this season, setting an 8-6-1 record and .908 save percentage.
- Pierre-Olivier Joseph is set to miss the Penguins’ Sunday night matchup against the New York Islanders, continuing to sit out with illness. Joseph’s last game was on December 16th. He’s played in eight NHL games this year, recording one assist and a -3.
- Washington Capitals 2022 second-round draft pick Alexander Suzdalev has had his WHL rights traded from the Regina Pats to the Saskatoon Blades. Regina received three players and three draft picks in return, including a first round pick in the 2026 Draft. Suzdalev scored 86 points in 66 WHL games last season, adding 10 points in seven playoff games. But he’s since returned to Sweden, playing in 13 games and scoring three points with Mora IK of Sweden’s second league. This blockbuster WHL move could be a sign that Suzdalev is poised for a return to Canadian juniors.
Marc-Andre Fleury Becomes Fourth Goalie With 1,000 Games Played
With his appearance in Minnesota’s 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, Marc-Andre Fleury has officially joined one of the most exclusive clubs in all of hockey, playing in his 1,000th NHL game. While hundreds of skaters have managed the feat, only three other goaltenders have had careers long enough and performances strong enough to reach the mark – Martin Brodeur (1,266 Games), Roberto Luongo (1,044), and Patrick Roy (1,029). The trio is arguably three of the best goaltenders of all time and will now be joined by Fleury, whose 55 percent win-percentage is the highest of any of the four goalies.
Fleury’s path to this milestone came largely thanks to his 13 years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where the French Canadian was able to become the winningest goalie in club history with 375 wings through a team-high 691 games played. But it was Fleury’s postseason performances that turned him into a legend for one of the league’s most prolific clubs. Fleury established himself as the team’s long-term starter in the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, carrying the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals thanks to a dazzling .933 save percentage in 20 starts. He immediately became the guy in the 2008-09 season, ranking eighth in the league with 62 games played. The major uptick in ice time didn’t faze Fleury, who held it together enough to record a .908 save percentage in 24 games during the 2009 Playoffs, helping lift the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup in 17 years.
But as much as it built up his early career, postseason performances were also the downfall of Fleury’s time in Pittsburgh, who ultimately lost his starting role to the hot hand of rookie Matt Murray during the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Murray would go on to lead the Penguins to another Stanley Cup win, on the back of a .923 save percentage in 21 games. Fleury would continue in Pittsburgh for one more season, platooning with Murray during the 2017 postseason, but the writing was on the wall – and after Murray won over the starting role en route to a second Cup, it was time for Fleury to move on. The Penguins traded the Vegas Golden Knights a second-round draft pick to incentivize them to take Fleury int he 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
The Golden Knights were quickly rewarded for taking the veteran, with Fleury bouncing immediately back to his postseason form – leading Vegas to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first year with a .927 save percentage in 20 games. He continued to thrive in the postseason with Vegas, setting a combined .914 save percentage over his next three seasons with the team, which saw 27 playoff games.
Fleury moved away from the Golden Knights in 2021, briefly joining the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to the Minnesota Wild for a conditional second-round pick. Now 39 years old, Fleury is relishing on a successful .905 save percentage and 39-23-6 record in three years with the Wild. He’s lost the everyday starter role to Filip Gustavsson but still boasts an .893 in 14 games this year.
It’s been a prolific career for Fleury, emphasized by a Gold Medal win at the 2010 Winter Olympics and a Vezina Trophy and William Jennings Trophy win in the 2020-21 season. Fleury is set to become a free agent at the end of this season. If he decides to call it a career, he will be retiring as one of the winningest goaltenders of all time – one of only 21 goaltenders to win three-or-more Stanley Cups and ranked in the top 10 of all-time wins. The question now becomes whether his 1,000th game can combine with all of his other accolades to earn Fleury a Hall of Fame induction.
Central Notes: Connor, Girard, Lehkonen, Reichel
Winnipeg Jets’ leading goal-scorer Kyle Connor is making progress in his return from a knee injury, returning to the Jets’ practices in a no-contact jersey. The winger has been out for 20 days but still leads Winnipeg with 17 goals scored across 26 games, a mark tied for 11th in the NHL – despite Connor playing in at least five games fewer than any other player in the top 20. Winnipeg has leaned even heavier into Mark Scheifele in Connor’s absence, with the recently-extended centerman scoring eight points in the seven games that Connor has missed. The Jets have proven surprisingly successful for a team missing their top goal-scorer, setting a 4-1-2 record without Connor. And while that’s a great sign for optimism, the Jets were on a four-game winning streak leading up to Connor’s injury, and had a five-game winning streak just a few games prior. They will look to get back on that winning run as Connor continues to progress back to play.
Other notes from around the Central Division:
- Samuel Girard is set to return to the Colorado Avalanche lineup on Sunday, after missing the team’s last 20 games for personal reasons. It was known that Girard would return soon, as the Avalanche anticipate the return of an option that averages over 20 minutes a night for the team. Girard has scored four goals in 15 games this season.
- Artturi Lehkonen has begun taking full practices with the Avalanche, after working independently for much of the week. Lehkonen is working back from a scary-looking neck injury that’s held him out since late-November. Lehkonen has scored eight points in 12 games this season. And while Lehkonen returned, Ross Colton did not skate on Saturday.
- Lukas Reichel could be set to lose a significant amount of money on his first NHL contract after his entry-level deal, per The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus, who shares that the promising 21-year-old was set for a comfy pay raise from his entry-level contract prior to the season, but now may only receive a cheap qualifying offer as a restricted-free agent after a season of struggles. Reichel has managed just eight points through 34 games this season and currently sits with a -19. And while Reichel continues to struggle, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson and head coach Luke Richardson both told Lazerus that Reichel has proven he’s an NHL talent, and that a move to the AHL isn’t in the cards yet.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: San Jose Sharks
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the San Jose Sharks.
Who are the Sharks thankful for?
There isn’t a lot to be excited about from a San Jose Sharks team that kicked off their season with an 11-game losing streak, is currently on a seven-game losing streak, and has yet to win 10 games. But thankfully, there’s a fantastic consolation prize in the 2024 NHL Draft – San Jose local and star prospect Macklin Celebrini. Celebrini was born in Vancouver but played much of his youth hockey career in the Bay Area, before moving to Shattuck St. Mary’s. He’s since emerged as a superstar prospect, with 25 points through his first 15 games as an NCAA freshman. The fleet-footed centerman is also the leading scorer for Team Canada’s World Juniors roster, boasting six points in three games – double the scoring of anyone else on the roster. His trophy case is already full of accolades, including winning the awards for both USHL Rookie of the Year and USHL Most Valuable Player last season. Celebrini doesn’t project to be a generational prospect like Connor Bedard but he’s confidently in the “1B” tier below him, likely poised for immediate success in the NHL. There’s no better place for Celebrini to start his career than where it all began – or, that will at least be what Sharks fans hope for if their season continues to skid.
What are the Sharks thankful for?
Extra goaltending training.
The San Jose Sharks are averaging 35.7 shots-against this season – the third-most of any team over the last decade. That’s led to a dismal average of 4.08 goals-against this season but it’s also meant extra action for netminders Mackenzie Blackwood and Kaapo Kahkonen, providing a sort-of trial by fire for the Sharks’ starting goalie role. The duo has had very different results this year, with Blackwood recording a .884 save percentage in 23 appearances, while Kahkonen has set an even .900 save percentage in 17 games, catching up in appearances while Blackwood has been out with illness. Moneypuck’s goals-saved-above-expected per-60 stat (GSAx/60) paints a similar story, with Kahkonen’s 0.368 sandwiched between Igor Shesterkin and Jacob Markstrom at 13th in the league while Blackwood’s -0.312 ranks 32nd in the league. Letting up a bombardment of shots every single night is a terrible habit to have but the opportunity to see how a netminder faces such heavy pressure is a nice silver lining. Kahkonen is one of a daunting 17 Sharks set to become a free agent next summer, while Blackwood is signed through the end of the 2024-25 season, and how each player is able to take advantage of their chances through the rest of the season will undoubtedly weigh heavy into how San Jose handles their goalie contracts next off-season.
What would the Sharks be even more thankful for?
A confident win.
The Sharks are not only currently on a seven-game losing streak, but two of their last three wins have come in overtime, while the other win was a grueling 2-1 victory that saw its game-winning goal scored with just a few minutes left. It’s been a tedious stretch for the Sharks, forced to fight to the end of every game they play, unless they’re getting walloped on the scoreboard. There is no saying just how impactful a win could be, especially if the Sharks can find a way to really get over an opponent and win by a few goals. The team only has two wins of three goals or more this year and haven’t managed the feat since December 1st. With the holiday break passed and the All-Star break looming, now is a perfect time for San Jose to set their pace for the rest of the season – and which players are able to step up and assure that could make a tremendous impact on the team’s long-term plans.
What should be on the Sharks holiday wish list?
More draft stock.
The Sharks are unsurprisingly set to be sellers at the trade deadline, with options like Tomas Hertl and Anthony Duclair poised to receive plenty of interest from teams looking for a scoring boost. If they do get interest, draft capital needs to be the Sharks’ top priority. The team already has four picks in the top-two rounds of next year’s draft but a lot has been made about the strength of the 2025 and 2026 draft classes as well, and increasing their stock in each draft could go a long way in helping San Jose build out a team that can lift them out of their rebuild. They’ve had just three picks in the Top 10 since 2010, used to draft Timo Meier (2015), William Eklund (2021), and Will Smith (2023). That’s no way to bring in talent that can lead the top of a lineup, especially considering that one of those selections has already been traded away. After a season of immense struggles, San Jose will hope they can reverse this trend and bring in a few true difference makers over the next three drafts.
Metropolitan Notes: Pacioretty, Bear, Cizikas, Lazar, Penguins
5:30 PM: Curtis Lazar has been declared ‘out’ for Friday.
5:00 PM: The Washington Capitals will have to wait a little longer for the highly-anticipated debuts of newcomers Max Pacioretty and Ethan Bear, with both players set to sit out of the team’s Friday night game. Both players signed with the Capitals during their recovery from injury, with Pacioretty coming back from his second Achille’s tendon tear and Bear recovering from a shoulder surgery required after taking a big hit during the 2023 World Championships.
Pacioretty joined Washington this summer, signing a one-year, $2MM contract with the club on July 1st. Pacioretty only appeared in five games last season, although he did manage three goals. His 2021-22 season didn’t last for much longer, only seeing 39 games and 37 points. We have to go back to the 2019-20 season to find the last year that Pacioretty appeared in 50 or more regular season games. That year was his second with the Vegas Golden Knights and saw the 855-game veteran record 32 goals and 66 points in 71 games.
Bear’s injury struggles haven’t been as long-running, with the defender managing 61 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season. He scored 16 points through that stretch, marking the second-most points he’s scored in his career, behind his 2019-20 season which saw him net 21 points in 71 games with the Edmonton Oilers. Washington will become the fourth organization that Bear has been apart of through his five-year NHL career, which has been split evenly between two Pacific Division and two Metropolitan Division teams.
Other Metropolitan Division Notes:
- Casey Cizikas (illness) is listed as a game-time decision for the New York Islanders’ Friday night matchup against the Washington Capitals. Czikas was a full participant at the team’s morning practice, suggesting he’s trending in the right direction. The 32-year-old forward has played in 34 games with New York this season, recording 10 points and 14 penalty minutes.
- Curtis Lazar is also a game-time decision, with New Jersey Devils head coach saying the team will see how Lazar feels after the team’s morning practice before making a call on his availability. Lazar has appeared in 30 games this season, netting four goals and 10 points. The Devils’ Friday night game will also mark Kevin Bahl’s 100th NHL game, with the young defender inviting his billet family to the bout with the Ottawa Senators.
- Bryan Rust and Jesse Puljujarvi are both trending in the right direction, skating as full participants at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Friday practice. Rust is currently on injured reserve and is eligible to return on January 2nd, while Puljujarvi is still waiting for his first NHL game since undergoing double hip surgery. Matthew Nieto and Radim Zohorna missed the team’s practice, with Zahorna left at home due to illness.
Pacific Notes: Kraken, Carlsson, Sharks, Andersson
The Seattle Kraken are getting sued by the trademark holder of the old Seattle Metropolitans logo for how the Kraken decided to design their Winter Classic jerseys. Trademark holder Paul Kim claims that the red ‘S’ draws close similarity to the old Metropolitans logo, despite the Kraken telling Kim that they would go in a different direction with the Winter Classic jerseys after dispute over the early design.
This lawsuit details the breakdown between Kim and the Kraken organization over the course of 24 pages, claiming that the logo, colors, and pattern used by the Kraken were ”virtually identical” to the Metropolitans jersey, going as far as featuring “1917” on the collar in reference to the Metropolitans’ 1917 Stanley Cup Win. Seattle Metropolitans Hockey LLC claims they’ve lost an estimated $2.5MM from the release of the Kraken’s Winter Classic jerseys. Seattle will still wear the contentious jerseys in Monday’s Winter Classic, with the lawsuit coming too close to the event to alter the team’s course. The decision made in this lawsuit could help define the future relationship that the NHL’s newest franchise can have with its predecessor.
Other Pacific Notes:
- The Anaheim Ducks have moved Leo Carlsson to injured reserve. The prolific rookie suffered a scary knee injury last Thursday, ending up with a sprained right knee ligament that’s expected to hold him out for four to six weeks. The 19-year-old had managed eight goals and 15 points through his first 23 NHL games.
- The San Jose Sharks have announced a string of injury updates – sharing that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood is trending in the right direction to play on Sunday, while Ty Emberson and Logan Couture are doubtful for the matchup. San Jose will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak when they face the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. The Sharks have been outscored 33-to-10 over their long-term skid.
- The flu bug is continuing to spread around the NHL, with Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson missing the team’s Friday practice with illness. The team did not share any updates about Andersson’s availability for their Sunday night matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. Andersson has appeared in 31 games this season, leading Flames defenders in scoring with 18 points.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: New York Rangers
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the New York Rangers.
Who are the Rangers thankful for?
The New York Rangers haven’t had to worry about much this season, championing a 23-8-1 record that places them second in the NHL. But if there’s one player that’s encapsulated their success this season, it’s first-year Ranger Jonathan Quick, who’s satisfying a dream by finally making his way to New York. And Quick has jumped at the chance, revitalizing what seemed like a lost career. After recording a save percentage below .900 in three of his last five seasons before this year, Quick is not boasting an impressive .920 save percentage through 12 games, tallying a 9-1-1 record to boot. The Rangers don’t need to turn to him much, with Vezina-winner Igor Shesterkin still looking worthy of the award, but Quick has done a lot to completely solidify the Rangers’ crease, helping the team stick in the Top 10 of fewest-goals-allowed this season.
The 38-year-old Quick is on a one-year, $825K contract with the Rangers signed on July 1st. The netminder is in his 17th NHL season, playing 16 years with the Los Angeles Kings and winning one of his two Stanley Cups over the New York Rangers in 2014. He’ll now look to serve as a key support for New York’s own run to the Cup this year.
What are the Rangers thankful for?
A hardy offense.
The Rangers are scoring more this year than they have in any season since the turn of the century, averaging 3.34 goals per game through their first 32 games. What’s more, the scoring has been spread throughout the lineup, with the team carrying 11 different players with 10 or more points. Setting up their offensive systems has been the focus of New York’s game this season, carried on the back of Artemi Panarin‘s 44 points in 32 games, a mark that ranks sixth in the NHL. Panarin is flanked on the statsheet by Mika Zibanejad‘s 33 points and Chris Kreider‘s 30 points in as many games. There’s even scoring on New York’s injured reserve, with the hurt Filip Chytil putting up six assists in the 10 games that he managed to appear in.
Having such a wide array of scoring talent has worked incredibly well for the Rangers’ power-play: the most effective power-play in the league with a 31.1 percent success rate. It’s the second-most effective power-play in the NHL since 2000, only behind the 2022-23 Edmonton Oilers who carried an impressive 32.4 percent success rate through 82 games.
It hasn’t been since the 2016-17 season that a Rangers team ranked in the top 10 of goals-for in the league. They haven’t managed that feat this year just yet – ranked 11th in goals-for with 108 – but with games in hand and a healthy roster, New York is entering the second half of the year with one of the best forward groups they’ve had in a long time.
What would the Rangers be even more thankful for?
Draft picks.
With so much going right for the Rangers, it’s unfortunate that they only have four first, second, or third round picks until 2026. This comes after the team has made just two first round picks in the last three drafts, significantly holding back their ability to build out a prospect pool that can support the NHL club for the long-term. With the low quantity of picks, it’s become a game of quality over quantity for New York, who have seen promising years from some of their top prospects. 2023 First Round selection Gabe Perreault is looking dazzling through his first 17 collegiate games, netting 25 points while playing alongside juniors hockey teammates Will Smith and Ryan Leonard. Fellow first-rounder Brennan Othmann is also coming into his own this year, with 22 points in the first 26 AHL games of his career. He’s followed on the statsheet by Ryder Korczak and Adam Sykora, who both have 11 points in 24 and 25 AHL games respectively. The success of so many first-year pros speaks praise to Steve Smith‘s Hartford Wolf Pack, who currently rank second in the AHL’s Atlantic Division.
The Rangers have their First Round pick in each of the next three drafts – all three boasting seriously high-end talent at the top of the class – and even have a Second Round pick in 2024. But with no guarantee that they’ll be able to continue reeling in successful prospects, the team will need to make sure to keep the future in mind.
What should be on the Rangers holiday wish list?
A willing buyer at the Trade Deadline.
There’s very little reason to rock the boat in New York. The team is performing well, boosted by Adam Fox‘s return to play. But even with the current roster clicking so well, the Rangers are still carrying NHL-talents Kaapo Kakko and Chytil on IR. No timeline has been provided for either player’s return but they could create a logjam when they work their way back into the lineup. While not necessarily a bad issue to have, the Rangers could be in a prime position to bring in a few assets if they’re able to deal one of their extra NHL forwards to a team who hasn’t had as much top-to-bottom lineup success. It’d be a shrewd way to make their assets work for them, although having plenty of forward depth can be an ace up the sleeve during the postseason. If the Rangers are open to trades will certainly be one question – but with so much going right for the club, there’s no doubting that they’ll have plenty of interested parties flocking their way come the Trade Deadline.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: New York Islanders
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the New York Islanders.
Who are the Islanders thankful for?
The New York Islanders spent big money to acquire Bo Horvat last season, shelling out a first-round pick, a former first-round pick in Anthony Beauvillier, and second-round pick Aatu Raty. It was a high price to pay but Horvat is making it look like a great deal through his first full season with his new team. He’s been one of the team’s most consistent pieces, serving as a safeguard against the up-and-down struggles of some of his teammates. Horvat ranks second on the team in goals, with 14, and third in points, with 33, through 32 appearances this year. The 28-year-old centerman is also leading the Islanders in CF% (Corsi-For percentage) and ranks second in xGF% (expected goals-for percentage), showing that he’s earning his high scoring by making impacts all across the ice. Horvat’s strong play has let New York move Mathew Barzal to the wing, giving the star forward the fewest faceoffs of his career. The change has come to good effect, with Barzal leading the Islanders in scoring with 35 points in 32 games – on pace for 90 points through 82 games. Horvat is signed through the 2030-31 season, carrying a $8.5MM cap hit and some form of trade protection through all nine seasons. The Islanders placed a hefty amount of confidence in Horvat with the pricey trade and long-term extension and he’s returned the favor by quickly becoming a central pillar of their lineup.
What are the Islanders thankful for?
A stout crease.
The Islanders may be receiving the best goaltending in the league, which has come as a life-saver for a team facing injuries to three top defensemen. The effort has been spearheaded by Ilya Sorokin, who’s faced the second-most shots of any goalie in the league behind only Juuse Saros. Sorokin has continued his Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltending despite it, setting a .914 save percentage through 21 starts – good for 11th among NHL goalies with 12 or more starts. Sorokin is flanked by Semyon Varlamov, who has performed even better in his support role. Varlamov ranks sixth among all goalies with a .919 save percentage, continuing his trend of dominating in an Islanders jersey. The 35-year-old goalie is in his fifth season in New York and has recorded a save percentage higher than .910 in each of his four previous seasons, including the .929 he set in 36 games of the 2020-21 season which ranks as the 11th-highest save percentage over the last decade, among goalies with 35-or-more starts.
New York has played in more overtime games than any other team this year, largely thanks to their pair of former Vezina runner-ups standing tall enough to force extra time. They’ve been enough to back-up a fractured blue line and provides a comforting safeguard in a league where many different teams are searching for any sense of reliability in net.
What would the Islanders be even more thankful for?
Healthy defenders.
New York has suffered a string of injuries to their blue line that would be insurmountable for some teams. Three of their top-four defensemen are currently on injured reserve, including Adam Pelech who was placed on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He’s joined by Ryan Pulock, who was averaging over 22-minutes a night prior to his injury, and Scott Mayfield, who’s grown into a prominent role now in his 10th season with the club. The Islanders have had to get creative to fill in for these injuries, acquiring Robert Bortuzzo via trade and recalling Mike Reilly and Samuel Bolduc to serve in every-day roles. And while the blue line has performed serviceably, there’s no doubting that New York is missing a hardy boost thanks to their injuries – with Noah Dobson‘s 34 points in 33 games representing the only blue-liner with more than 10 points this year. They’re expected to receive support soon enough, with Mayfield only designated as day-to-day, but no timeline has been provided for the return of Pulock or Pelech. The group looks formidable if, and hopefully when, the Islanders blue line is able to get full health, and there’s reason for optimism after the team’s performed so well with three reserves in the lineup.
What should be on the Islanders holiday wish list?
A new top-six winger.
New York seemingly have all of the defense and goaltending that a team could want but they’re still not receiving the depth scoring that could push them into the league’s top tier. Recent trade acquisition Pierre Engvall has done well in the top-six minutes that he’s received, scoring four goals and 13 points in 32 games, but getting a boost of scoring-upside could go a long way towards keeping the Islanders at the top of their division. There are no shortage of options on the open market, including goal-scoring wingers Anthony Duclair and Andrei Kuzmenko – two options on short-term contracts that could fit nicely into Islanders head coach Lane Lambert‘s systems. Bringing in a new winger could give Lambert a newfound spark in the top-end of his lineup, and significantly more flexibility in the bottom-six.