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Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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The Stanley Cup Finals are right around the corner and we’re now just a month away from the NHL Entry Draft. Teams like the New York Islanders and Minnesota Wild are getting new management, while others like the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers will be welcoming new coaches on the bench.

With that in mind, we’ll be running another mailbag this weekend. Our writers will answer all your questions—Stanley Cup related or not—in this week’s edition. Submit your queries using the #PHRMailbag hashtag on Twitter, or by leaving a comment down below.

You can read our previous mailbag right here, where our Brian La Rose dives into the future for the Carolina Hurricanes, what’s left for Jonathan Toews, and potential rule changes for NHL play.

Linus Soderstrom To Play In North America In 2018-19

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  • After spending this past season on loan with HV 71 of the SHL, Islanders goalie prospect Linus Soderstrom is expected to play in North America next season, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross. The 21-year-old had stellar numbers in 2016-17 but a shoulder injury didn’t help his cause in 2017-18 as he wound up getting into just 14 games and had a save percentage that was 49 points lower than the previous campaign.  With both Kristers Gudlevskis and Christopher Gibson eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency in July, there should be plenty of playing time available with their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

Lou Lamoriello Named New York Islanders President Of Hockey Operations

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The New York Islanders have officially hired former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello as their new President of Hockey Operations. In fitting Lamoriello fashion, the press release includes a note that he will “have full authority over all hockey matters with the organization.” It had already recently been reported that Lamoriello spoke with John Tavares as a representative of the Islanders, something he will continue to do now that he has been officially announced.

Lamoriello was pushed out of his role as GM when his contract finished, with the Maple Leafs instead turning to Kyle Dubas to lead their team going forward. Mark Hunter, Lamoriello’s assistant GM, also left the team this morning, though there is no indication yet if he’ll join his former boss in New York. For now, Lamoriello will come into a front office that had been run by Garth Snow, who will likely now move to a different role within the organization. Snow has a long-term contract with the club still that is reportedly difficult to buy him out of, but there is no question who will be running things going forward.

Lamoriello’s son Chris is also with the organization as an assistant GM, and will likely be retained under his father. As for the rest of the group, there’s no telling how it will be restructured.

For the Islanders, this can only be seen as a positive moving forward. The team desperately needs to find some success in the next few years, and their future depends on how negotiations go with Tavares. Either they’re going all-in with their franchise center to compete right away, or building around Mathew Barzal and the rest of the team’s young players. Lamoriello has experience in both from his days in New Jersey and Toronto, and understands the challenges fully.

Lou Lamoriello Will Be Hired By New York Islanders

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Though the rumors have been floating around for some time, Arthur Staple of The Athletic (subscription required) now confirms that Lou Lamoriello will be hired by the New York Islanders to run their hockey operations. Lamoriello was recently removed from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM position when his contract expired, and immediately linked to the Islanders as a potential destination. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Lamoriello has also already spoken with John Tavares as a representative of the Islanders.

It’s still not clear how the front office will be structured for the Islanders, as current GM Garth Snow still has several years on a contract that is unlikely to be bought out. Instead of firing their long time executive, Snow may take on a different role while Lamoriello is given the keys to the franchise. Chris Lamoriello, Lou’s son, is already in the front office as an assistant GM.

The Islanders have one of the biggest summer’s in franchise history coming up, with Tavares likely determining the direction the team takes over the next several years. If he were to re-sign, the team would be dedicated to competing for the Stanley Cup over the next few years as he remains at his top performance. If he instead spurns the only team he’s ever played for and hits the free agent market, the team could instead look to rebuild around rookie sensation Mathew Barzal and open a large window of contention a few years down the road. Barzal is an exceptional talent in his own right, but without Tavares the team doesn’t look good enough to really contend as currently constructed.

There’s also the fact that the team is expecting their new arena to be ready for the 2021-22 season, a year that the franchise will want to make as successful as possible as they try to reinvigorate their fan base. The Belmont Park location has other hurdles in its way (including a potential NHL work stoppage), but having Tavares in the fold would certainly make the team feel more comfortable as they head into their next era.

Lamoriello is technically under contract as a senior advisor for the Maple Leafs, but there was little doubt that President Brendan Shanahan would let him move on if he found another opportunity. In a similar situation to his exit from New Jersey a few years ago, it didn’t take long for another organization to come calling.

Tyler Boucher, Sasha Pastujov Announce College Commitments

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With the college game continuing to soar in popularity and participation, commitments from players not even old enough to play junior hockey have become far more frequent. The latest in that trend are two promising young players with hockey bloodlines joining a pair of the top programs in the NCAA.

Tyler Boucher, son of former NHL goaltender Brian Boucher, is headed to Boston University. The New England Hockey Journal’s Jeff Cox was the first to report the commitment. The Terriers have been one of the top producers of pro talent in recent years and Boucher hopes to continue that trend. Cox describes him as a tough, heavy scorer – and that’s the scouting report at just 15 years old. Boucher will play at Avon Old Farms for the next few years before joining BU for the 2021-22 season and in that time will undoubtedly get better, especially as he fills out his frame and becomes a more dangerous power forward. His father Brian, a Rhode Island native, chose the Canadian major junior route for his development, but Tyler is staying stateside and looking like a player to watch in the New England hockey scene for the foreseeable future.

A more controversial commitment came from young Sasha Pastujov this week. The 14-year-old announced that he will be joining Notre Dame University, beginning in 2021-22. However, many will recognize his last name from his brothers Nick and Michael, two-thirds of the second line for the University of Michigan. Not only do the older brothers play for a Big Ten Conference rival of Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish are also the team that knocked the Wolverines out in the Frozen Four this season. While neither Nick, a 2016 draft pick of the New York Islanders, nor Michael, draft-eligible this year with a mid-round grade, will likely still be at Michigan by the time their younger brother enrolls at Notre Dame, that bad blood is unlikely to go away. There is surely to be some sibling rivalry in the future for this talented Florida family.

Islanders Must Decide Whether To Hand Team To Lamoriello

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While there is some talk between the New York Islanders and former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager and current senior adviser Lou Lamoriello, there remains many questions about what role the 75-year-old executive would be looking for if he would opt to leave Toronto in favor of the Islanders. While New York still has Garth Snow holding down the general manager’s position, that means very little.

In fact, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that if the team wants to bring Lamoriello in, they have only one option available to them, and that is to let him take over the franchise. Regardless of what title they choose to give him, Lamoriello will want final say over personnel decisions. And if the Islanders aren’t ready to give him that, then there is no point to meeting with him.

The scribe reminds everyone that when he took over in New Jersey in May of 1987 as team president, it only took him four months before he forced out general manager Max McNab from that same position and took over general manager duties. Don’t expect things to be any different. While he is rumored to be friends with Snow, nothing is much different now. If he wanted to stay in an advisory role, then he could stay in Toronto.

Newsday’s Andrew Gross writes that it’s logicial that ownership is likely ready to offer Lamoriello the keys to the Islanders. New York’s ownership has already said they are evaluating ways to improve the Islanders, a team that has reached the playoffs four of the last 12 years. While that doesn’t necessarily mean the team intends to fire everyone, it’s very likely the Islanders are ready to make a significant shakeup. However, Gross adds that Lamoriello is well known to make changes and things may be no different with the Islanders if he signs on.

The other hope, of course, is that these moves might be a last minute attempt to convince star center John Tavares to stay with the Islanders, rather than leave for another franchise when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in less than two months.

Poll: Should The Predators Consider Moving On From Pekka Rinne?

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While it’s only been two days since the were eliminated and a reactionary rumor rarely makes sense, there is a lot of talk in Nashville that the team should consider trading goaltender Pekka Rinne now.

At first glance, that would seem insane. Rinne is the leading candidate to win the Vezina Trophy for the best goaltender in the regular season, but after a disappointing performance in the playoffs in which he was yanked quicker than any other goaltender in Game 7 playoff history, one has to look deeper. Rinne, who put up a 2.31 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 59 regular season games, definitely struggled once the postseason began, posting a 7-6 record with a 3.07 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 13 games. And at age 35, with one year left on his contract for $7MM AAV, this might be the best time to trade him. With several teams in need of a quality veteran goaltender such as the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres or the Philadelphia Flyers, the team might be able to get back a quality player, while freeing up needed cap room.

Nashville has other needs they need to consider as well. The team has the opportunity to extend the contract of star defenseman Ryan Ellis on July 1. The Tennessean’s Adam Vingan reports that the 27-year-old is open to playing out his career Nashville. However, it will likely take quite a bit more than the $2.5MM he is currently making, so cap room is essential. Add to the fact they will have to re-sign restricted free agent forwards Ryan Hartman and Miikka Salomaki. That’s extra money as well as the team’s need to sign restricted free agent goaltender Juuse Saros to a new deal.

On top of that, that extra $7MM could help the team make a big free agent splash to help them for their run next season, whether they attempt to add another top-four defenseman such as John Carlson, make an attempt to land John Tavares or go in a different direction.

Many feel that Saros might be ready to make that transition from backup to starter. The 23-year-old has been solid as the team’s backup for the past two years, putting up a 2.45 GAA and a .925 save percentage in 26 games this season. While only managing 114 minutes in four playoff games, Saros still performed admirably with a 1.06 GAA and a .952 save percentage in the playoffs. Considered the goalie of the future, why not now? Ideally, giving Saros one more year with Rinne as the starter makes sense, but if the team has to give Saros a lot of money in a bridge deal, the team might be paying close to $10MM for their goalie tandem, which is way too much.

Of course, making a move like this would be extremely risky, but The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin writes that if any team and general manager would consider trading a Vezina Trophy candidate as well as one of the best players in franchise history, David Poile would be the one. Back in June of 2016, Poile and the Predators did the unthinkable of sending star defenseman Shea Weber to Montreal in exchange for P.K. Subban. While the deal was somewhat shocking, the move looks better and better every day while Weber’s play has declined due to injury and age.

What do you think: Do you think the Predators should move forward and give the starting job to Saros or keep everything the same and try again next season?

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Lou Lamoriello Talking To New York Islanders About Front Office Position

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Though we’ve heard rumblings and rumors ever since the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Lou Lamoriello would not return as GM, there was never any confirmation that the legendary executive would actually consider a position with the New York Islanders. Now, John Shannon of Sportsnet is reporting that Lamoriello is indeed speaking with the Islanders about a potential role in their front office.

Lamoriello of course has ties to the Islanders organization as his son Chris already works for the team as Director of Player Personnel. The team has also been reportedly considering moving current GM Garth Snow into a more senior position, though it’s not yet clear where everyone would land if Lamoriello came on board.

With the Maple Leafs’ naming Kyle Dubas their new GM today, Lamoriello was supposed to be transitioning into an advisory role with the club. The idea of him actually fulfilling that role always came with doubts though, as many believe he still wishes to have control of a team. The 75-year old executive left a similar role with the New Jersey Devils after the team hired Ray Shero.

If Lamoriello was to take over as GM of the Islanders, it would be at an incredibly important moment in the franchise’ history. John Tavares has less than two months left before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, while the team is heading into a new era with the new arena development scheduled in the coming years.

Speculation Continues Regarding Lou Lamoriello And The Islanders

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  • While now-former Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello publicly stated that he intended to fulfill the advisory role in his contract, Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that he has no real intention of doing so. This comes on the heels of speculation earlier this week that the Islanders could be a landing spot for the 75-year-old, something that Staple suggests is a possibility as well.  If that indeed happens, Toronto will not be entitled to any compensation as that was put to an end back in January of 2016.

New York Islanders To Sign Travis St. Denis To Two-Year Contract

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The New York Islanders have agreed to terms with minor league forward Travis St. Denis to a two-year, two-way contract after a good season for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Since St. Denis is a North American-based player and already 25, he is not subject to the entry-level contract system. No word yet on the financial details, but it is likely to be a near minimum level deal.

St. Denis has played the last two seasons for Bridgeport on an AHL contract, scoring 44 points this season in 74 games. The former NCAA star with Quinnipiac University, St. Denis was undrafted and overlooked because of his small stature. Standing 5’7″ 170-lbs, St. Denis uses his speed and quickness to create room in the offensive zone and hasn’t been slowed down by the grind of an AHL season. The reward of a two-way deal doesn’t guarantee that he’ll make the NHL one day, but it does give the Islanders the option of giving him a shot should injuries arise.

Bridgeport missed out on the playoffs this season because of their tough division, but will be back next year with their top scorer in tow. We’ll have to wait and see if the team injects even more talent into the system this summer to try and topple one of the top four teams in the Atlantic.

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