Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Islanders Rumors

Ruslan Iskhakov Signs In Finland

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Ruslan Iskhakov has decided to leave the University of Connecticut and turn pro, but it won’t be with the New York Islanders. The 19-year old forward has signed a one-year contract in Finland, where he will play for TPS.

Iskhakov was originally selected by the Islanders 43rd overall in 2018 after completely dominating minor hockey in Slovakia (he scored 104 points in 44 games during the 2016-17 season) and showing well in the Russian MHL. Despite his small frame he also found success at the college level, recording 42 points in 64 games over two seasons.

It’s very interesting that he is pursuing his professional career in Finland, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that he won’t come to the Islanders eventually. For now, they’ll have to watch his development from afar and try to convince him to join their organization down the road.

New York Islanders Agree To Terms With Three Prospects

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New York Islanders have agreed to terms with Felix Bibeau, Cole Coskey and Blade Jenkins. CapFriendly reports that Jenkins has signed a three-year entry-level contract, while both Bibeau and Coskey have signed one-year AHL deals.

Bibeau, 21, is the oldest of the three but was only drafted in 2019. The sixth-round pick was passed over in his first two years of eligibility, but after an impressive season that saw him lift the Memorial Cup with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies the Islanders took a chance.

Coskey, 20, was a seventh-round pick by the Islanders last year but has landed a deal after putting up 80 points in 62 games for the Saginaw Spirit. The 6’0″ winger may have been overshadowed by teammate Cole Perfetti, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hold his own at the next level.

Jenkins, the youngest of the group at 19 was actually drafted in 2018 and could have become an unrestricted free agent next week. The Islanders needed to sign him before June 1 and after a mediocre season it was unclear if they would take the chance and use a contract slot. Jenkins recorded just 16 goals and 40 points in 47 games for the Spirit, not exactly dominating the league in his third OHL season.

All three players will join the organization but don’t seem likely candidates to challenge for a role in the NHL right away. More likely we’ll see them taking the ice in the AHL (or even ECHL) for the time being.

Construction Set To Resume Wednesday On Belmont Park Arena

at CDT | by 5 Comments

  • Construction on the Islanders new arena at Belmont Park is expected to resume on Wednesday, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross. It had been shut down due to the ongoing pandemic when it wasn’t deemed an essential service.  By comparison, Seattle’s renovations did receive that designation.  While the break will certainly delay things, Gross adds that team officials are optimistic that they will still be able to meet their target opening date of October 2021.

Samuel Bolduc Agrees To Terms With New York Islanders

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New York Islanders will soon be signing one of their top draft picks after agreeing to terms with Samuel Bolduc today on a three-year entry-level contract. Bolduc recently finished his third season in the QMJHL, suiting up for both the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Sherbrooke Phoenix.

Bolduc, 19, was selected 57th overall last year and had another strong junior season. The 6’4″ defenseman recorded 43 points combined over his time with the two organizations, including a very strong 27-in-29 following the trade to Sherbrooke.

While there’s still a long way to go before Bolduc is challenging for an NHL roster spot, his mixture of size and puck-moving ability should translate well to the next level.

Potential Compliance Buyout Candidates: Part II

at CDT | by 15 Comments

As the current Coronavirus crisis wears on, it seems more and more likely that the NHL will not return to action soon and when play resumes, it will almost certainly not be the full remaining regular season schedule. That lost revenue is expected to impact the 2020-21 salary cap, perhaps even keeping the current $81.5MM upper limit in place. Given that teams expected an increase, initially projected to be between $84-88.2MM, this stagnation could have a harsh impact on a number of clubs’ cap situations. As such, many expect that compliance buyouts will return in some form or fashion to ease that pain. These buyouts, which do not count against the salary cap, would allow for teams to open up space that they otherwise expected from a cap increase.

After taking a look at the first ten teams, we move on to the middle third of the NHL:

Detroit Red Wings: Justin Abdelkader

– When Abdelkader signed a seven-year extension with an AAV of $4.25MM following his career-best season in 2014-15, it was perceived to be a bargain at the time and few expected that it would turn out poorly. Yet, with three years still to go Abdelkader has failed to impress in each of the first four seasons, recording a total of just 78 points and consistently missing time due to injury. On a young rebuilding team, the 33-year-old forward’s slow, plodding game is not a fit and his salary is not commensurate to his role on the club. New GM Steve Yzerman wouldn’t hesitate to buy out the career Red Wing if given the opportunity.

Edmonton Oilers: James Neal

– Last summer’s swap of Neal for Milan Lucic was labeled as two teams exchanging bad contracts. However, Neal got off to a hot start and ended up with 19 goals and 31 points despite being limited to just 55 games due to injury. That being said, the 32-year-old forward, who was a -20 this season, is still probably the worst contract on the team. The likelihood of Neal playing up to his remaining $17.25MM over three years seems slim and the Oilers could use the cap space to add a younger, better winger. If Neal has earned the trust of the team, Kris Russell could be bought out before his final year at $4MM.

Florida Panthers: Sergei Bobrovsky

– Would the Panthers move on from Bobrovsky just one year after handing him a seven-year, $70MM deal? That could be the biggest question of the off-season if compliance buyouts become reality. The star goalie’s first season in Florida could not have gone worse as he posted a career-worst GAA and didn’t boast a shiny save percentage either. Expected to be the Cats’ savior in net, Bobrovsky was anything but. If they hesitate to cut ties with Bobrovsky and his play does not improve, he would undoubtedly become the worst contract in hockey. Though on the other hand, if Bobrovsky goes elsewhere and succeeds and Florida cannot find a suitable location, some would surely say that they didn’t give him enough of a chance.

Los Angeles Kings: Jonathan Quick

– The rebuilding Kings have been trying to move Quick for a couple of years now and it would be a surprise if they did not take advantage of a compliance buyout opportunity. A holdover contract from the days of yore, Quick’s ten-year, $58MM deal signed in 2012 remained a bargain for the first half of the term until Quick hit a wall last year. While his play rebounded this season, Quick is still not playing up to the all-world level that had become the norm. L.A. is still a ways away from contending and can make more use of extra cap space over the next three years than a goalie who is past his prime.

Minnesota Wild: Zach Parise

– The Wild and new GM Bill Guerin came awfully close to trading Parise at the deadline this season and in recent years players who have been rumored to be leaving Minnesota are always eventually dealt. However, the potential trade included the team taking back bad salaries to facilitate the movement of Parise’s remaining five years and $37.69MM. Although Parise showed a return to form somewhat over the past two years, he has never been able to replicate his numbers from earlier in career and the team has generally been unhappy with the results of their 13-year gamble. If the possibility to dump the 35-year-old Parise without any cap repercussions opened up, it would become a serious conversation. More interesting would be if the Wild also discuss Mats Zuccarello as a buyout candidate after he was a bust in the first of a five-year, $30MM deal.

Montreal Canadiens: Karl Alzner

– While there will be those that find some of the bigger names on Montreal as intriguing buyout candidates, Alzner seems like an obvious choice that will improve the roster without any risk of releasing a good player or upsetting team chemistry. Few players in recent history have had their team turn on them following a major contract as quickly as the Canadiens did with Alzner. After signing the physical defenseman as a top free agent in 2017, the Habs decided just a year later that he was not worthy of an NHL roster spot following a difficult first season. Alzner has played just 13 NHL games over the past two years, buried in the AHL for the remainder. With two years at $4.625MM remaining, Montreal would be happy to be completely rid of Alzner’s contract rather than receiving just minor saving from sending him to the minors instead.

Nashville Predators: Kyle Turris

– For a long time, Nashville GM David Poile was opposed to handing out expensive, long-term contracts. That policy served him well for quite a time, as the Predators ended up with a number of tremendous values on the roster. Since the team has started to move away from that practice, things have not gone so well. Turris is the poster boy for this statement. He signed a six-year, $36MM extension with Nashville not long after being acquired by the club early in the 2017-18 season and has never lived up to the expectations. His 54 total points over the past two years is less than the one-year total the season prior to his joining Nashville. Turris has become an expendable player, not only missing time due to injury but also as a healthy scratch. The team has been eager to move him and they likely wouldn’t hesitate to do so with a compliance buyout.

New Jersey Devils: Cory Schneider

– An overpaid, under-performing starting goalie is one thing; an overpaid, under-performing backup is another. It has been quite a time since Schneider was the top man in net in New Jersey and young Mackenzie Blackwood has now taken the reins. However, Schneider’s horrific numbers over the past two year suggest that he isn’t even capable of being an NHL backup at this point in his career. With two years remaining at $6MM, Schneider’s might be the worst goalie contract in the league and a rather obvious buyout candidate.

New York Islanders: Andrew Ladd

– Ladd, part of the infamous 2016 class of terrible free agent contracts, Ladd has never provided adequate value to the Islanders compared to his $5.5MM AAV. The team finally buried him in the AHL this season after recording just 71 points through his first three years. With the majority of their forwards signed to substantial long-term deals, there is almost no chance that Ladd can ever work his way back into the NHL mix for the Islanders. New York was ready to move him at the trade deadline and would be quick to buyout the final three years of his deal rather than continue to pay major money for him to play in the minors.

New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist

– While it would be a sad day for the Blueshirts and their fans, the reality is that Lundqvist is the best use of a compliance buyout on the team. New York was considering moving young Alexandar Georgiev at the deadline rather than continue to carry three goaltenders, as Igor Shesterkin looks like the starter of the future and King Henrik has become an immovable contract. However, the team would be far better off retaining both young goalies and moving on from Lundqvist, who at 38 years old had the worst season of his career and still has a season remaining at $8.5MM. That’s a hefty salary to pay the man who would be your third-string goalie next season if Georgiev is not moved. The Rangers have no shortage of options though if they cannot overcome the loyalty they feel toward Lundqvist. Defensemen Marc Staal, $5.7MM AAV, and Brendan Smith, $4.35MM AAV, have both outworn their welcomes in New York and would not be missed in the final years of their respective contracts.

Stay tuned for Part III coming soon.

Ilya Sorokin Declines KHL Extension Offer

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Islanders have been waiting for Ilya Sorokin to come to North America for several years now.  It appears as if the wait may soon be over.  Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko reports (Twitter link) that Sorokin has turned down an extension offer from CSKA Moscow of the KHL, paving the way for him to sign with New York at the expiration of his current deal at the end of the month.

Sorokin was a third-round pick (78th overall) back in 2014 and has quickly outperformed that slot as he has become of the top goaltenders outside of North America.  This season, he posted a .935 SV% with a GAA of 1.50 and if you think those are impressive, they’re actually both worse than 2018-19 (.940 SV% and 1.16 GAA).  He was off to a stellar start in the playoffs as well with a .966 SV% and a 0.73 GAA before the postseason was eventually called.  While the KHL is a lower-scoring league, those are still appealing results and it’s no surprise that CSKA tried to get Sorokin to sign an extension.

Instead, it appears that the 24-year-old now has his sights set on the NHL where he should make his mark right away with the Islanders.  Assuming a deal gets done, it’s safe to pencil him in alongside Semyon Varlamov as New York’s tandem for next season.  That makes it seem unlikely on the surface that Thomas Greiss, a pending unrestricted free agent, will be back in the fold.

On the surface, it might seem like Sorokin would be leaving some money on the table in the short term as he’ll be restricted to a one-year, entry-level deal.  However, this stoppage could potentially present an opportunity for Sorokin to burn that year quickly.  As he was on the Islanders’ reserve list at the trade deadline, he’d be eligible to play if play resumes.  Accordingly, they could burn that year right away and get him out of the entry-level system quickly which is what Columbus did with Elvis Merzlikins just last season.

Accordingly, it may take a bit of time yet for an NHL deal to be announced as Sorokin’s side would undoubtedly want to wait to see what happens with the rest of this season and playoffs before putting pen to paper on a contract.  However, it appears that the wait to bring him to North America is about to come to an end.

No Extension Talks Between Islanders And Mathew Barzal

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Some teams have been taking advantage of this pause in the schedule to talk about new contracts for their pending free agents.  The Islanders aren’t doing that with their top pending restricted in Mathew Barzal.  The center told reporters, including NHL.com’s Brian Compton, that there hasn’t been any talks about a new deal yet:

To be honest with you guys, I don’t think there’s been too much communication, and not because there’s anything negative or anything, it’s just Lou’s getting ready for a playoff run right now, and I’m still worried about this season as well.  I’m not too too worried about it, just because I don’t think the season is over yet. I think we’re still going to be playing.

There’s bigger things we’ve got to worry about right now in terms of heading to the playoffs this year. But at the same time, whenever we’re ready to sit down and get it done, I’d love for that to happen. At the same time, I’m not a person that’s just going to rush this thing or get nervous about it or whatever. I’m just going about my day, and it’ll happen when it happens.

While the 22-year-old hasn’t been able to get back to the numbers of his rookie season that saw him pick up 85 points in 82 games to earn him the Calder Trophy, he did reach the 60-point mark before the games stopped, the third straight year he has hit that mark.  He’s also their leading scorer for the third straight year which is quite impressive for someone that’s in his third full NHL season.

It’s that production that has made him one of the top restricted free agents this summer as he’s in line to get a substantial raise on his current $925K salary regardless of what happens with the salary cap as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  While Barzal didn’t touch on that in his comments, it’s likely that the potential for a lowered or flattened Upper Limit of the cap is playing a role in the lack of discussions right now.

Barzal has been a speculative candidate for an offer sheet all season long but GM Lou Lamoriello tried his best to pour cold water on that last month when he stated that he would match anything that his top forward could sign but until a new deal is agreed on, that will still linger.  In the meantime, it appears the focus is on the resumption of the season if and when that time comes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Metropolitan Notes: Jones, Fitzgerald, Golyshev

at CDT | by 1 Comment

While the season remains on hold due to COVID-19, many players are getting every chance to get back to full health. In fact, the delay in the season could be  a huge benefit to several teams that lost key players late in the season, which now might make them available if the NHL is able to continue the season or at least the playoffs.

The Columbus Blue Jackets look like they could be huge benefactors to that end as injured defenseman Seth Jones, a crucial linchpin to the team’s shutdown defense announced that he stepped on the ice today for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in which he required surgery to repair a sprain an hairline fracture on Feb. 11. He was given an 8-10 week recovery time after suffering the injury three days earlier against the Colorado Avalanche.

While Columbus had fared well despite suffering numerous team injuries over the course of the year, Jones’ departure from the lineup had quite the effect. The team picked up just three wins after his injury, with a 3-5-6 record.

The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline adds that while players are not allowed to use their teams’ facilities at the moment, Jones is permitted to do so as part of his rehab from ankle surgery, allowed by deputy commissioner Bill Daly. Injured players are allowed access to team’s facilities since the beginning of the league’s suspension.

  • The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes in his most recent mailbag entry that the longer the suspension goes on, the more and more likely the New Jersey Devils will had the permanent general manager position to current interim GM Tom Fitzgerald. With most candidates still under contract until the season ends, New Jersey has been unable to interview any candidates that are associated with a team. The team has interviewed former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis (twice), but if the season goes deep into the summer, there is a good chance they will keep Fitzgerald, who took over for Ray Shero on Jan. 12 and had a successful trade deadline. Fitzgerald was already a top candidate for the job, but the Devils were interested in a full search, which now may be difficult.
  • With rumors that the New York Islanders are already getting Russian goaltending prospect Ilya Sorokin under contract for next season, Sport-Express’ KHL writer Igor Eronko reports that another Russian prospect is considering coming stateside for the 2021-22 season. According to Eronko, 25-year-old forward Anatoli Golyshev has looked at houses in New York and wants to join the team in 2021. Golyshev, an Islanders’ fourth-round pick in 2016, had an injury-plagued campaign this year with just 11 goals and 25 points in 38 games, but scored 37 goals over his previous two years with Yekaterinburg Automobilist in the KHL.

Evening Notes: Greene, DeBoer, Gostisbehere

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The New York Islander paid a premium price to acquire 37-year-old defenseman Andy Greene from the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline, sending the Devils their 2021 second-round pick. However, with the suspension in place, the Islanders have only gotten 10 games from the veteran blueliner.

Newday’s Andrew Gross writes, however, that Greene has made it clear that he doesn’t have any intention to retire at the end of this season.

“Oh, yeah, for sure, in my mind, I’m definitely going to play,” Greene told Newsday this week.

While that doesn’t necessarily mean that Greene, an unrestricted free agent this offseason, would return to the Islanders next year, at least it’s still a possibility. Greene finished his 14th season in the league with two goals, 14 points and 155 blocked shots in 63 games.

  • If the NHL decides to go with a playoff system with more than the standard 16 games, the Vegas Golden Knights would receive a bye in the first-round of the playoffs as they are the No. 1 seed in the Pacific Division. However, head coach Peter DeBoer suggested recently, via SinBin’s Ken Boehlke, that he isn’t enamored with that idea and would not be interested in a bye for his team. “I don’t want to be the team with the bye, sitting there after being off for a month or two months or three months. Having teams play two-out-of-threes and play-in games while you’re sitting there. There’s a huge advantage to having actually played games. I know the bye sounds like an advantage. And it is an advantage if you’ve been playing an entire 82-game season and you roll into that and you have 10 days to prepare for the next round. But when you’ve been sitting around for months, it’s a disadvantage. From a fairness point of view, that would be a concern for me.”
  • Once considered to be a future franchise piece to their defense, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has struggled for two straight years, which includes a five-goal, 12-point season last year in 42 games. While there was talk that he could have been a trade candidate at the trade deadline, Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi writes that it’s extremely likely that Gostisbehere will be traded within the next year due to the expansion draft in 2021. With the team likely to only protect three defensemen, it’s a lock that the Flyers will protect Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers, leaving Gostisbehere available to Seattle. However, the scribe believes that team is more likely to trade him rather than just hand him over to Seattle for nothing.

New York Rangers Owner James Dolan Diagnosed With COVID-19

at CDT | by 16 Comments

While there are now four cases of NHL players testing positive for COVID-19, no individual has been named as of yet. However, a member of the NHL community has now officially been recognized as a victim of the Coronavirus pandemic. The NBA’s New York Knicks announced that owner James Dolan has tested positive for COVID-19. Dolan owns both the Knicks and New York Rangers and is the Executive Chairman and CEO of the Madison Square Garden Company.

Fortunately, the report indicates that Dolan, 64, is “experiencing little to no symptoms.” He and his family remain in self-isolation in their home in the Hamptons, while Dolan still continues to oversee business operations for the Madison Square Garden Company.

One of his recent decisions was in fact to set up the “MSG Relief Fund” to financially assist employees at this time, per The New York Post’s Larry Brooks. The company donated $1MM, which was then matched by Dolan’s personal Dolan Family Foundation.

The Rangers have not made an announcement of their own on Dolan’s condition, continuing a trend across the NHL of refraining from public comment on Coronavirus diagnoses. By all accounts though, Dolan is the first owner in the NHL – or NBA for that matter – to have tested positive for COVID-19. It is not believed at this time that any Rangers players have been tested for the virus.

While battling this sickness, Dolan is still undoubtedly one of the NHL owners lobbying for a continuation of the NHL regular season, if at all possible. While the Knicks are among the worst teams in the NBA, the Rangers had picked up steam before the league’s “pause” and were in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild card race. If the NHL was to jump directly into the standard 16-team postseason upon their return to action, the Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Florida Panthers would all narrowly miss the playoffs while – a worst-case scenario for Rangers fans – the rival New York Islanders would claim the final spot in the East.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top