- Although the New York Islanders failed to make the playoffs for the second time in four years, they received positive news on the injury front this morning. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reported that despite entering concussion protocol after leaving Sunday’s game due to a hit from New Jersey Devils forward Paul Cotter, defenseman Adam Pelech “is fine” and suited up for the Islanders tonight against the Capitals. Pelech is no stranger to injuries, having only appeared in 60 of New York’s 81 contests this season.
- Unfortunately, not every usual defenseman for the Islanders suited up in tonight’s contest, as the team shared just before puck drop that defenseman Alexander Romanov is out of the lineup due to illness. Depth defender Scott Perunovich is filling the Romanov-sized void this evening. He’s tallied three assists in nine games for the Islanders since being acquired from the St. Louis Blues on January 27th.
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Islanders Rumors
Devils’ Paul Cotter Suspended Two Games
April 14: It’s a two-game suspension for Cotter, DoPS announced. He’ll miss New Jersey’s remaining regular season schedule but will be eligible for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Hurricanes.
April 13: Devils center Paul Cotter received a match penalty today against the Islanders and the league has decided that they want to take a closer look at it. The Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link) that Cotter will have a hearing on Monday for his illegal check to the head on defenseman Adam Pelech.
The incident (video link) occurred near the six-minute mark of the second period with Cotter being ejected for it. Meanwhile, Pelech sustained an upper-body injury on the play and did not return. Following the game, head coach Patrick Roy didn’t have an immediate update on Pelech’s condition but with just two games left in their season, it wouldn’t be surprising if they shut him down.
Cotter has not been suspended in his 217-game NHL career but this is the second time he received a match penalty for an illegal check to the head; the other instance came back in 2023 when he was with Vegas but no supplementary discipline came his way. New Jersey has two games remaining this season so any suspension longer than that would mean he’d miss the beginning of their opening-round playoff series against Carolina.
Lennox Reassigned To Bridgeport
- The Islanders have sent goaltender Tristan Lennox back to AHL Bridgeport, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). The 22-year-old had a short-lived NHL debut back on Tuesday, allowing one goal on two shots in a little under five minutes of action. Lennox has been limited to just four minor league appearances this season due to injury, posting a 4.44 GAA and a .832 SV% with Bridgeport. He was no longer needed with the Isles with Ilya Sorokin returning today.
Islanders Sign T.J. Semptimphelter To AHL Tryout
- Free agent goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter has joined the Islanders organization on a tryout with AHL Bridgeport, the team said. A frequent mention in our college free agent previews over the last couple of years, the 22-year-old turns pro after four collegiate seasons – the last of which was spent with North Dakota after transferring from Arizona State. In 31 games for the Fighting Hawks, he put up a 2.64 GAA, .910 SV%, one shutout, and an 18-11-2 record. He was previously a Hobey Baker nominee after his standout sophomore season with ASU, in which he posted a 2.84 GAA and .913 SV% in 36 showings for the then-independent program.
Islanders Recall Tristan Lennox On Emergency Basis
The Islanders are tracking to be without star netminder Ilya Sorokin as they try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive tonight against the Rangers. Head coach Patrick Roy told reporters today that Sorokin sustained a lower-body injury in Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Predators. The team announced they’d recalled Tristan Lennox from AHL Bridgeport on an emergency basis; he’ll back up Marcus Högberg tonight (via Stefen Rosner of NHL.com).
Sorokin sustained the injury when Nashville forward Michael McCarron fell onto him while scoring a goal in the second period. He stayed in the net but didn’t come out for the third, relieved by Högberg. Roy declined to confirm whether the team expected Sorokin back for its four remaining games after tonight’s tilt (via Rosner).
If it’s the end of the year for Sorokin, he closes the book on a mixed 2024-25 campaign. He recorded a career-low .905 SV% over 59 appearances, logging a 29-23-6 record. He still performed quite well compared to the quality of the team defense in front of him, with MoneyPuck estimating he’s saved 13.7 goals above expected. That’s a major improvement on last year’s 1.4 figure.
While the recall is unlikely to yield Lennox’s NHL debut, it’s still his first stint on an NHL roster. The Islanders’ 2021 third-round pick is in his second professional season but has made just 17 total appearances at the ECHL and AHL levels since the beginning of 2023-24. He started this season on the non-roster list with an undisclosed injury and was only sent to Bridgeport to begin his campaign in early February. Since making his AHL debut for the B-Isles, he’s yet to record a win and has a 4.44 GAA and .832 SV% in four showings, uninspiring numbers behind the worst club in high-level minor hockey.
The 22-year-old has faced an uphill battle, losing his draft year to the COVID-19 pandemic at a crucial time in his development. He looked solid in ECHL action last year, putting up a .909 SV% in 13 games for the Worcester Railers, something both he and the Isles will hang their hat on as they try to assess his long-term ceiling.
Islanders’ Anthony Duclair Takes Leave Of Absence
Islanders winger Anthony Duclair is out indefinitely after taking a personal leave of absence from the club, head coach Patrick Roy told reporters today (including Stefen Rosner of NHL.com).
Duclair wasn’t at this morning’s practice. After the Isles dropped a 4-1 game against the Lightning on Tuesday to extend their winless streak to six, Roy called Duclair’s performance postgame “god-awful” and said he was “lucky to be in the lineup.” Today, Roy told the media that “Anthony and I had a very good conversation, a very positive one, and Anthony asked me to take some time off and reflect. So, obviously, I agreed to that, and we’ll give him all the time that he needs.”
The 29-year-old simply hasn’t meshed on Long Island and with Roy, his head coach from his junior days with the Quebec Remparts. He negotiated himself a four-year, $14MM deal last summer to join the Isles on the opening day of free agency and even started the year on the top line alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. A leg injury sustained in his fifth game of the season derailed his campaign, though, keeping him on the sidelines for two months. Horvat inferred today that Duclair had also sustained a groin injury – either on the initial play or during his recovery today – that’s bothered him since his return.
As a result, Duclair’s production has been the worst of his career, even when grading it out on a per-game basis. He’s scored just 7-4–11 through 44 games with a -15 rating, the worst among Islanders forwards, while averaging a shade over 15 minutes per game.
Now in his 11th NHL season, Duclair’s shown the ability to be a strong complementary top-six winger when given other offensive weapons to play with. He excelled down the stretch in a top-line role for the Lightning last season after they acquired him from the Sharks at the deadline, posting 8-7–15 in just 17 games. He’s three years removed from a career-high 31-goal campaign in Florida, splitting time on the Panthers’ first and second lines that year. New York hoped he could provide that level of production in a first-line role, but injuries – not just to him, but to their shallow group of top-level offensive talents – have taken away that dream, at least for 2024-25.
With three years left on his deal, a reset in the relationship between the organization and Duclair is paramount. He carries a full no-trade clause through the 2025-26 campaign, although beginning July 1, 2026, Duclair can only block a move to 16 teams.
With eight games left in the Islanders’ season and their playoff chances down to 2% (per MoneyPuck), it stands to reason that Duclair is done for the year. That should mean extended top-six opportunities for wingers like Simon Holmström and Maxim Tsyplakov over the last couple of weeks of the campaign.
Islanders Sign Joey Larson To Entry-Level Deal
The Islanders inked right-winger Joey Larson to an entry-level contract. It’s a one-year deal for next season, and it’s unclear whether they plan on having him join AHL Bridgeport for the remainder of 2024-25.
The 24-year-old undrafted free agent turns pro out of Michigan State, where he spent the latter two of his three collegiate seasons after transferring from Northern Michigan. Compared to most NHLers, the 6’1″, 196-lb forward has had a significantly delayed development path. Initially eligible for selection in the 2019 draft, he was playing as low as the Tier II junior North American Hockey League as late as the 2020-21 campaign – by which virtually any drafted player in his age group would have been either wrapping up a major junior career, playing against professionals in Europe, or skating in the college ranks.
[Related – 2025 College Free Agency Preview: Forwards]
That hasn’t stopped Larson from being a productive collegiate player, even if his age played a significant factor in how much he was able to contribute. He posted 39-44–83 in 111 NCAA appearances, including 10-14–24 in 37 games with the Spartans this season. That output was the lowest of his trio of college seasons, down from the career-high 16 goals and 32 points he scored in 38 games with Michigan State in 2023-24.
Aside from taking up a contract spot, there’s no downside in signing Larson to see how he adjusts to the pros. Still, it’s surprising to see him land an NHL deal when more productive college free agents his age, like Hobey Baker finalist Liam McLinskey, have had to settle for AHL contracts.
Islanders Sign Gleb Veremyev
12:30 PM: The Islanders have made this signing official. Veremyev will join the Islanders on a two-year contract beginning in the 2025-26 season. His deal carries an $885K cap hit, per PuckPedia, and breaks down as follows:
2025-26: $775K base salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $102.5K games played bonus, $85K minors salary
2026-27: $800K base salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $77.5K games played bonus, $85K minors salary
10:00 AM: The New York Islanders are expected to ink one of the top available college free agents, Gleb Veremyev (as per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff). The center has good size, is solid defensively and is excellent on the draw, but he doesn’t project as much of an offensive player. This season, in 37 games, the 21-year-old has just nine goals and eight assists with Colorado College of the NCAA, this represented a significant drop from last year when he tallied 15 goals and 13 assists in 37 games.
Seravalli has called Veremyev a David Steckel-type player, which appears to be a fair comparison given the numbers and the style of game that Veremyev plays. Steckel was a former late first-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings, while the Islanders wouldn’t be giving up any assets (other than money) to sign Veremyev. It’s safe to guess that Veremyev will spend significant time in the AHL before beginning his NHL journey. Steckel spent three full seasons in the AHL before becoming a full-time NHLer, and Veremyev will likely need similar seasoning.
Veremyev stands 6’4” tall and while he doesn’t meet the definition of a power forward, he is a relentless forechecker and does have some skill around the net and could continue to develop some of the offensive elements to his game. Defensively he is described as having an active stick and being disruptive when it comes to physical battles.
Islanders’ general manager Lou Lamoriello has expressed a desire to get younger and bringing in Veremyev will certainly inch the organization in that direction.
Injury Notes: Red Wings, Romanov, Jensen
The Red Wings lost both defenseman Erik Gustafsson and winger Elmer Söderblom to undisclosed injuries in Tuesday’s loss to the Capitals, and it doesn’t look like they’re getting either back this weekend against Vegas. Neither practiced during today’s session, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports. The former could be facing a longer-term absence, head coach Todd McLellan said. That’s not good news for a tumbling Red Wings team, whose playoff hopes are close to evaporating after a 2-8-0 run in their last 10 games. Gustafsson is third in points among defenders with 18, trailing Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider. Söderblom, who’s seen time on the top line with Dylan Larkin as of late and has 3-6–9 in 22 games since being recalled in January, is day-to-day. They could be getting veteran defenseman Jeff Petry back in the lineup soon – he’s traveling with the club on their road trip after returning to practice but won’t play this weekend. He’s been out since early January with an undisclosed injury but had just six points in 34 games to begin the year with a minus-seven rating.
More from around the league:
- Islanders head coach Patrick Roy told reporters he doesn’t expect defenseman Alexander Romanov to draw in against the Canadiens tonight in a game with major postseason implications, per Andrew Gross of Newsday. He’s still dealing with the illness that held him out of Tuesday’s come-from-behind win over the Penguins. The 25-year-old is enjoying a strong season in career-high minutes, posting 4-14–18 with a plus-nine rating while averaging 22:46 per game. New York’s playoff chances could jump to 35% with a regulation win but drop to just 16% with a regulation loss, per MoneyPuck.
- Senators defenseman Nick Jensen remains unavailable tonight against Colorado, but he practiced with the club anyway, per TSN 1200 Ottawa. The 34-year-old righty will miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury. With the Sens having the first wild card spot in the East all but locked up, Travis Hamonic slides into top-four deployment alongside Thomas Chabot with Jensen out. Acquired from the Capitals in last summer’s Jakob Chychrun trade, Jensen is averaging 20:20 per game in Ottawa and leads the team with a +17 rating.
Metropolitan Notes: Strome, Fitzgerald, Islander Defenders
Center Dylan Strome is in the lineup tonight after being questionable to play due to sickness, per a team announcement. He was a full participant in today’s morning skate and is centering the team’s top line between Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson.
Despite feeling under the weather, Strome scored Washington’s first goal of the game tonight against the Red Wings. His availability is key for the Capitals as they continue their run towards the top seed in the eastern conference. Strome has been instrumental to the team’s success, registering 65 points in 67 games played. He is set to break his career high of 67 points in a season, which he recorded just last year.
In his last three seasons, he has recorded 71 goals and 197 points and has assisted on many Ovechkin’s goals as the Russian sniper nears the all-time mark.
Elsewhere in the Metro:
- Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald discussed a scary situation that occurred to his son with his fellow general managers at their annual meetings, per an NHL release. Fitzgerald’s son, Casey Fitzgerald, a defender with Hartford of the AHL, sustained a serious cut to his neck from a skate blade in a game against Providence on Dec. 28. Casey was wearing a neck guard, which is mandated by the AHL, but the skate hit above the guard, and it was very close to being a life-threatening situation. The elder Fitzgerald approved of photos being shown of the wound, acknowledging the photos could serve as a reminder to the seriousness of these gruesome injuries. While the AHL requires cut-resistant equipment, the NHL currently doesn’t have these provisions in place. While Fitzgerald would like to see this change, he is also looking toward even better advancements in protective equipment. He noted that had the skate hit his son’s neck guard, it wouldn’t have prevented the cut from taking place in that particular situation. But better preventative measures, including wider neck straps, could help prevent serious cuts.
- The Islanders’ Adam Pelech is playing tonight against the Penguins, while defenders Alexander Romanov and Adam Boqvist both missed the contest due to illness, per a team announcement. Pelech was a full participant in the Islanders morning skate on Tuesday after missing Sunday’s contest against the Florida Panthers with a lower-body injury. Coach Patrick Roy noted his return as a huge support for the team. Pelech has recorded 17 assists, 65 blocked shots, and 68 hits through 45 games on the season. With Romanov and Boqvist out, defender Tony DeAngelo is paired with Pelech, and veteran Mike Reilly cracked the lineup for just the 13th time this season.