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Islanders Sign Maxim Shabanov

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The New York Islanders have announced they’ve signed KHL forward Maxim Shabanov to a one-year, entry-level contract. The deal was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, and confirmed by Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. Rosner adds that the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers were also among Shabanov’s finalists, before deciding on the Islanders. The contract will carry a $975,000 cap hit and maximum bonuses – valued at $3.5MM – per NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes.

Shabanov, 24, will follow in the footsteps of top Islanders’ rookie Maxim Tsyplakov, who posted 10 goals and 35 points in 77 games this season after seven seasons in the KHL. Shabanov has three full years of KHL experience to his name, though he’s found a way to emerge as one of his team’s top forwards in each year. He scored 23 goals and 67 points in 65 games with HC Traktor this season, good for the third-most points in the entire league. He then added an additional 20 points, split evenly, in 21 postseason appearances as Traktor charged towards a championship runner-up finish.

It was a red-hot performance for the young winger, after he broke out with 25 goals and 50 points in 64 games last season. That performance was itself a stark increase from the 18 goals and 31 points that Shabanov managed as a KHL rookie in 2022-23. Three years of production have made Shabanov one of the top young forwards. In fact, his 150 points in 207 career KHL games is the ninth-most a player has scored prior to their 25th birthday. He ranks just ahead of Vadim Shipachyov, and just behind New Jersey Devils forward Arseni Gritsyuk.

Shabanov is a flashy, high-speed forward with a knack for finding ways to get involved in the offense. He was among Traktor’s biggest drivers through the neutral zone this season, and consistently found ways to crash the net on or off of the puck. He’s got a strong shot, nifty hands, and a creative ability to set up plays that should all yield interesting offensive upside at the NHL level. He could be held back by a slight, 5-foot-8 frame — a knock that likely excluded him from much NHL draft consideration during his years of eligibility in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Shabanov should slot into the Islanders’ third-line left-wing role to start his NHL career. He could also be a candidate to man a right-wing role, should it better fit New York’s deployment of Anthony Duclair and newcomer Jonathan Drouin. He could even fit on the opposite wing to Tsyplakov. The two young Russians have never appeared in league play together.

Islanders Sign Emil Heineman To Two-Year Deal

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The New York Islanders have announced they’ve signed Emil Heineman to a two-year, $2.2MM contract. The contract terms were first reported by Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. New York acquired Heineman in a draft day trade alongside the 16th and 17th-overall picks in a deal that delivered top defender Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens. New York used the draft picks to select Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson.

Heineman played through his rookie season in the NHL this year. He spent the season operating out of a bottom-six winger role, and accumulated 10 goals and 18 points through 62 games. His promotion to the NHL came after just one full season in the minor-leagues. He tallied 15 goals and 29 points in 48 games with the Laval Rocket last season. He also chipped in nine points in 11 AHL games at the tail end of the 2022-23 season, after moving to North America following the end of Sweden’s SHL season.

The Florida Panthers originally drafted Heineman in the second-round of the 2020 NHL Draft. That pick came on the heels of a strong year in Sweden’s junior league, where Heineman managed 26 goals and 41 points in 29 games. He also contributed two points in 11 SHL games that year, then earned a full-time promotion to the pro league in the year after his draft selection. Heineman tallied 13 points in 43 games as an SHL rookie, and worked his way up to 15 points in 35 games two seasons later.

Through his journey in the SHL, Heineman’s rights were first traded to the Calgary Flames in a deal that landed Florida Sam Bennett, then were again moved to the Canadiens in a move that landed Calgary Tyler Toffoli.

Heineman a lofty winger who throws hits with confidence and plays responsibly on both ends of the ice. He ranked fourth on the Canadiens in hits (173) as a rookie last season, and generated at least one shot per game. He’s a strong foundation to build on – and an acquisition that could look shrewd for the Islanders with a few more years of growth.

Two-Way Deals: 7/1/25

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As major signings come in around the NHL today with the 2025-26 league year beginning, teams are shoring up their minor-league depth as well by signing players to two-way contracts. We’re keeping track of those signings today in this article, which will be continuously updated. Deals are one year unless otherwise noted.

Boston Bruins

F Riley Tufte ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
D Jonathan Aspirot ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
G Luke Cavallin ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub

Buffalo Sabres

F Riley Fiddler-Schultz ($865K NHL/$90K SB/$35K PB/$85K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years, entry-level
F Carson Meyer ($775K NHL/$350K AHL Y1 – $375K AHL Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Mason Geertsen ($775K NHL/$425K AHL) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet // two years
D Zachary Jones ($900K NHL/$550K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Zach Metsa ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$325K gt’d) – PuckPedia

Calgary Flames

D Nick Cicek ($775K NHL) – team release

Carolina Hurricanes

G Amir Miftakhov ($775K NHL/$100K AHL/$240K gt’d) – PuckPedia

Chicago Blackhawks

F Dominic Toninato ($850K NHL) – team release // two years

Colorado Avalanche

F T.J. Tynan (unknown) – team release
D Jack Ahcan (unknown) – team release
D Ronald Attard ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia

Columbus Blue Jackets

F Owen Sillinger (unknown) – team release
D Christian Jaros (unknown) – team release

Dallas Stars

D Niilopekka Muhonen (unknown) – team release // three years, entry-level

Edmonton Oilers

D Riley Stillman ($775K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
G Matt Tomkins ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$450 Y2 gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years

Florida Panthers

F Nolan Foote ($775K NHL/$150K AHL/$250K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Jack Studnicka ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic
G Brandon Bussi ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
G Kirill Gerasimyuk (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level

Los Angeles Kings

F Cole Guttman ($775K NHL/$450K Y1 – $475K Y2 AHL/$475K gt’d Y1 – $500K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years

Minnesota Wild

F Tyler Pitlick ($775K NHL/$300K Y1 – $350K Y2 AHL/$325K gt’d Y1 – $375K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Ben Gleason ($800K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia

Montreal Canadiens

F Alex Belzile (unknown) – team release
D Nathan Clurman ($775K NHL/$125K AHL/$140K gt’d) – PuckPedia

New Jersey Devils

D Calen Addison ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$400K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Angus Crookshank ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years, one-way in 2026-27

New York Islanders

F Matthew Highmore (unknown) – team release
D Ethan Bear ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$425K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole McWard (unknown) – team release

New York Rangers

D Derrick Pouliot ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$425K gt’d Y1 – $450K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years

Ottawa Senators

F Wyatt Bongiovanni ($775K NHL/$160K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Olle Lycksell ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – Darren Dreger of TSN

Philadelphia Flyers

F Lane Pederson ($775K NHL/$525K AHL) – PuckPedia

San Jose Sharks

F Jimmy Huntington (unknown) – team release
F Samuel Laberge (unknown) – team release
F Colin White ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole Clayton (unknown) – team release

St. Louis Blues

F Matt Luff ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Nicholas Abruzzese (unknown) – team release
F Tristan Allard (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
F Boris Katchouk (unknown) – team release
D Simon Lundmark ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$350K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
G Ryan Fanti ($775K NHL/$80K AHL) – PuckPedia

Utah Mammoth

F Kailer Yamamoto ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Scott Perunovich ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia

Vancouver Canucks

F Joseph LaBate ($775K NHL/$350K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Mackenzie MacEachern ($775K NHL/$575K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
D Jimmy Schuldt ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years

Winnipeg Jets

F Phillip Di Giuseppe ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Kale Clague (unknown) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet

Islanders Sign Simon Holmstrom To Two-Year Deal

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The Islanders are in agreement with RFA winger Simon Holmstrom on a two-year contract with a $3.625MM cap hit, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. He’ll earn $3.5MM in 2025-26 and $3.75MM in 2026-27.

Holmstrom will opt for a bridge contract after a breakout performance this season. He recorded 20 goals and 45 points in 75 games this season – a full stride forward from the 25 points he scored in as many games last year. The productive year, even on a low-scoring Islanders club, earned Holmstrom routine minutes in the top-six by the end of the season.

A two-year deal will push Holmstrom to prove he can keep up the reliable scoring through another season. He seems a reasonable bet to continue to meet his mark moving forward. Holmstrom recorded a lofty 20.8 shooting percentage this year, though it’s the same mark he managed with 15 goals last season. Holmstrom was similarly productive in the minor leagues, netting 12 goals and 43 points in 68 games of the 2021-32 AHL season, his most recent full year in the minors. The Islanders originally drafted Holmstrom in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft, following a big year – 20 points in 21 games – in Sweden’s U20 league.

Holmstrom will track back to New York’s second-line right wing with this deal — and look to earn the hardy payday that routine scoring could land him. He’ll be joined by newcomer Jonathan Drouin playing opposite of him, and could be potentially centered by rookie Calum Ritchie – if Ritchie can make the NHL roster out of camp, like he did in Colorado last year.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed significantly to this article.

Islanders Sign Jonathan Drouin To Two-Year Deal

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The Islanders announced they’ve signed winger Jonathan Drouin to a two-year contract. The deal is worth $4MM per season, Frank Seravalli reports.

Similarly to their recruitment of winger Anthony Duclair last offseason, the Islanders have looked to the second-tier options for forwards to fix their offensive woes. In Drouin, they’ll add a silky playmaking winger into their top-six.

The former third-overall pick has played for the Colorado Avalanche for the past two years, though he struggled with injuries last season. Throughout his two-year stint, Drouin scored 30 goals and 93 points in 122 games with a +16 rating, averaging 18:11 of ice time.

Remarkably, even after ten years in the NHL, Drouin’s first season in Colorado was his best individual campaign yet. Besides him achieving a career-high 56 points during the 2023-24 campaign, Drouin averaged a 57.0% CorsiFor% at even strength during his tenure in Denver. It’s hard to imagine that he’s capable of driving his line, but the Islanders can place him next to Bo Horvat or Mathew Barzal and expect quality production.

If they have any hopes of contending during the 2025-26 season, New York desperately needed to add more offense. They faced financial constraints due to the number of restricted free agents they needed to sign. Drouin gives them the best of both worlds, offering quality secondary scoring production while leaving enough room for the Islanders to have enough space to re-up their remaining RFAs.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Islanders Sign David Rittich, Ethan Bear

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The Islanders are inking free agent goaltender David Rittich to a deal, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports. The team announced it’s a one-year deal, although financial terms weren’t disclosed. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports it’s worth around $1MM. They’ve also signed defenseman Ethan Bear to a two-way deal with a $425K guarantee, per PuckPedia.

Rittich will join the Islanders as an insurance bet for veteran goalie Semyon Varlamov, who missed the bulk of the 2024-25 season due to a long-term, knee injury. Varlamov underwent surgery to address the issue in December, and has been rehabbing with a return in mind ever since. He wasn’t able to return in time for the end of the season, but has affirmed that he’ll be ready for training camp at the end of the summer.

Should Varlamov need additional time, the Islanders will be able to lean on Rittich to back up the heavy workload of Ilya Sorokin. Rittich spent the last two seasons backing up Cam Talbot and Darcy Kuemper with the Los Angeles Kings. He was tasked with stepping into 24 games of the 2023-24 season, then climbed to 34 games last year as Kuemper battled through injury. He found an interesting balance over two seasons in L.A., managing a stout .921 save percentage in his first year but a dismal .886 save percentage this season. His record fell positive in both seasons, ultimately totaling at 29-20-5 in 58 games.

The backup role in Los Angeles brought Rittich through his ninth season, and 230th game, in the NHL. He has appeared in stretches with the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, and Toronto Maple Leafs in that span. In total, Rittich has amassed a .904 save percentage and 204-108-71 record. He’ll be a cheap third-string option that should help New York mitigate their trend of injury-riddled seasons.

The Islanders will also add Bear as an important piece of depth. The 28-year-old defenseman spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, where he stood out as one of the best defenders across the minor leagues. He finished the season with 10 goals, 46 points, 30 penalty minutes, and a plus-33 through 62 games. That was enough to finish eighth among AHL defenders in points, and second in plus-minus. Bear struggled to find a hardy role through tenures with the Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks, or Washington Capitals. With that said, he’s still managed a stout 67 points, 112 penalty minutes, and minus-14 through 275 appearances in the NHL. If he can find a strong groove, he could surge back to the NHL on an Islanders blue-line in need of right-side support.

Islanders Re-Sign Tony DeAngelo

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The Islanders have reached a one-year agreement to keep defenseman Tony DeAngelo off the market, the team announced. Frank Seravalli reports it’s worth $1.75MM, giving the Isles $12.94MM in cap space with a roster size of 19, per PuckPedia.

It’s an unsurprising resolution to a season that saw DeAngelo regain momentum as a regular in an NHL lineup. The offensively gifted but defensively challenged blue-liner spent 2023-24 on a one-year deal with the Hurricanes following the second buyout of his career, but slipped to a No. 7 role on their depth chart and only managed 11 points in 31 games. He didn’t receive NHL interest on the open market as a result and headed overseas, signing with SKA St. Petersburg in Russia.

The 29-year-old exploded on a team that included notable names like Ivan Demidov and Evgeny Kuznetsov, recording 32 points in 34 games for SKA before terminating his deal mid-season to pursue NHL opportunities. The Islanders, who were in desperate need of defensive depth at the time, particularly on the right side with Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock out of the lineup, signed him to a one-year, league minimum contract in January.

His return to NHL ice went as expected. He took over as their top power play quarterback, averaging a career-high 23:21 per game, and produced a 4-15–19 scoring line in 35 games. Only Dobson produced more points per game among Islanders defensemen last year than DeAngelo’s 0.54. He also finished sixth-worst on the team with a -11 rating despite playing less than half the schedule, although the Isles did still manage to create more than they gave up with him on the ice at even strength – a 51.8 CF% and 50.9 xGF% back that up.

With Dobson now traded to the Canadiens, DeAngelo fills a need for the Islanders. He’ll presumably remain on their top power-play unit and adds depth to an organization pretty thin on right-shot defensemen. As things stand, it’ll presumably be one of DeAngelo or the comparable Adam Boqvist in the lineup as a pure offensive option on the right side, along with the more defensively inclined Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock.

DeAngelo will give the Islanders a sixth defenseman signed to a one-way deal for 2025-26. Four of them are righties, so there’s still plenty of space for lefty Matthew Schaefer to land a spot in the lineup after going first overall in last week’s draft.

Frank Seravalli was first to report the Islanders and DeAngelo were nearing a contract.

Bridgeport Islanders Expected To Relocate To Hamilton

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  • All signs indicate that professional hockey will return to Hamilton, Ontario. According to Frank Seravalli, the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, an affiliate of the New York Islanders, are expected to relocate to Hamilton beginning in the 2026-27 AHL season. The new team would play at the freshly revamped TD Coliseum. Seravalli did not indicate if Hamilton would retain their affiliation with the Islanders after the relocation, but New York’s affiliate agreement with Bridgeport expires after next season.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Islanders Sign Alexander Romanov To Eight-Year Extension

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The Islanders are signing RFA defenseman Alexander Romanov to an eight-year, $50MM extension, PuckPedia reports. The deal will carry a cap hit of $6.25MM. The team has since confirmed the deal. He receives no-move protection from 2026-27 through 2029-30 and a 16-team no-trade list from 2029-30 through 2032-33 as part of the deal, per PuckPedia.

Romanov, 25, lands his big payday after taking a three-year, $7.5MM bridge deal from the Isles in 2022. That decision worked out well for him, and he’ll now be one of the team’s most well-compensated defenders through the expiry of his deal following the 2032-33 season.

The 6’1″ lefty has panned out nicely since the Islanders paid a steep acquisition price to land him from the Canadiens at the 2022 draft, parting ways with a pick that was flipped to the Blackhawks for Frank Nazar. He’s coming off his best NHL season yet. While injuries limited him to 64 games, he still produced 20 points for a career-best 0.31 per-game rate and averaged a career-high 22:18 per game.

Romanov always projected as a stout defensive presence; whether he would avoid being too much of an offensive liability to deploy in a top-four role was always the question with his ceiling. He’s answered it now, fitting well in transition despite never being a big-time point producer in his own right. His possession metrics haven’t been particularly impactful one way or another, considering his slightly defensively-oriented deployment, but he’s shown legitimate minute-munching ability while also generating over 200 shot attempts in each of the last four years. He’s also one of the league’s most physically involved defenders, recording 100-plus hits and blocks every year since 2021-22.

There will be a bit of sticker shock on that $6.25MM price tag for a defenseman with an offensive skill set as simple as Romanov’s. Considering the recent comparables set by extensions in the $5MM range for Kevin Bahl and Nicolas Hague, though, it comes across as fair value.

He’ll be a long-term anchor for the Islanders’ left side that still includes Adam Pelech and gained Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick in last week’s draft. The team has $14.7MM in cap space left this summer with Emil Heineman, Simon Holmstrom, and Maxim Tsyplakov among its notable RFAs still to sign.

Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.

Islanders Extend Qualifying Offers To All RFAs

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After a busy stretch that included trading Noah Dobson and drafting Matthew  Schaefer first overall, the Islanders and GM Mathieu Darche have shifted their focus to free agency by extending qualifying offers to all of their pending restricted free agents, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com.

The list of current pending RFAs for the Islanders includes forwards Simon Holmstrom, Emil Heineman, Maxim Tsyplakov, and Marc Gatcomb, as well as defenders Alexander Romanov and Scott Perunovich. Of note, Rosner expects Gatcomb to be back with the Islanders, whether by accepting his qualifying offer or signing a different deal.

All four forwards showcased some success last season. Homstrom, 24, posted 20 goals and 45 points last season. Holmstrom was the Islanders’ 2019 first-round selection (23rd overall) and has skated in 75 games each of the previous two seasons. Gatcomb showcased a solid scoring touch, netting eight goals in 39 NHL games (a projected 17-goal pace over 82), while Heineman chipped in 10 goals and 18 points across 62 contests, and Tsyplakov tallied 10 goals and 35 points in 77 games. And with only five defenders under contract, excluding non‑rostered players, re-signing Romanov and/or Perunovich could provide valuable depth on the blue line.

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