Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Islanders Rumors

Islanders Place Alexander Romanov On IR

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

According to a team announcement, the New York Islanders have placed defenseman Alexander Romanov on injured reserve with an upper-body injury (retroactive to October 16th). Romanov has missed the Islanders’ past two contests and is eligible for activation tomorrow.

Moving Romanov to the IR gives New York an open roster spot to recall another defenseman. Further, once Marc Gatcomb clears waivers and is reassigned to AHL Bridgeport, or is claimed by another team, they’ll have the cap space to make a pair of recalls. According to PuckPedia, the Islanders currently have approximately $706K in cap space and would have around $1.6MM if Gatcomb clears.

Before suffering the upper-body injury, Romanov had been largely unnoticeable for New York this year. He went scoreless in the team’s first four games with a -3 rating, averaging 18:12 of ice time per game. He had a relatively solid 50.7% CorsiFor% at even strength, though his 85.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength left much to be desired.

Although Romanov is expected to return relatively soon, there has been much speculation on whom the Islanders will eventually recall to replace him. Blueliner Marshall Warren, who’s never debuted in the NHL, is one of the most popular choices, given that he’s scored two goals and five points in four games with AHL Bridgeport.

Meanwhile, Isaiah George’s familiar face has been floated as another potential recall, though he hasn’t gotten off to a particularly positive start in the AHL this season. Further, Cole McWard, who won a Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks last season, has tallied two goals in four games and is another recall candidate.

Islanders Place Marc Gatcomb On Waivers

at CDT | by 2 Comments

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the New York Islanders have placed depth forward Marc Gatcomb on waivers. The team will reassign him to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders tomorrow if he clears waivers.

Today’s waiver placement isn’t as much of a condemnation of Gatcomb’s play as it is a recognition of his spot on the totem pole. The Islanders desperately need to recall a defenseman due to Alexander Romanov’s recent struggles with injuries. Other than Kyle MacLean, Gatcomb has one of the likeliest chances to pass through waivers unscathed.

Gatcomb had only skated in one game for the Islanders this year, skating in 8:33 of action. Although he didn’t register any points, he made himself known in the October 11th matchup against the Washington Capitals, laying seven hits on the opposition.

Regardless, it’s probably not the last time we’ll see him with New York this season. Gatcomb split the season last year, scoring eight goals and one assist in 39 NHL games, with another nine goals and 17 points in 35 AHL contests. A year before, he scored nine goals and 20 points in 61 games for the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks.

Once Gatcomb is off the active roster tomorrow, either through reassignment or a waiver claim, it’s expected that the Islanders will recall Isaiah George or Marshall Warren to replace Romanov in the active lineup.

Islanders’ Pierre Engvall Unlikely To Play This Season

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Islanders winger Pierre Engvall is unlikely to play this season after undergoing ankle surgery on Tuesday, general manager Mathieu Darche told reporters today (via Andrew Gross of Newsday).

Engvall had already started the season on injured reserve after he had a hip procedure performed over the offseason. Still, he was expected to be able to return sometime around the season opener. That didn’t come to pass, and there hadn’t been an update on his status in several weeks.

Engvall will now be eligible for long-term injured reserve, meaning the Islanders can exceed the salary cap by up to his $3MM cap hit with an optimal capture. If injuries pile up, they’ll take advantage. As things stand, they don’t have enough cap space ($702,490) for a standard recall, per PuckPedia.

The lost season dots what’s been a rather disastrous run on Long Island for Engvall since he signed a seven-year, $21MM contract with the club in the 2023 offseason. He was picked up from the Maple Leafs at the previous season’s trade deadline and looked like a potential long-term top-nine piece. He averaged north of 15 minutes per game down the stretch and produced a 5-4–9 scoring line in 18 games – a 41-point clip – and comprised the second line with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri.

In his first season under the long-term deal, Engvall’s usage remained consistent, but his production didn’t. He only managed 10 goals and 28 points in 74 games, down from the 30-plus points he’d locked in over the prior two years spent mostly in Toronto. He can naturally be a frustrating player to watch at times, given his relative lack of physicality for his 6’6″ frame, so a dropoff in scoring made for a considerable dropoff in his perceived value.

Last year, his first full season under head coach Patrick Roy, Engvall failed to reverse the slide. He became a semi-regular healthy scratch, appearing in 62 games. When dressed, his ice time dipped to under 12 minutes per game. His scoring suffered in kind, churning out an 8-7–15 line with a career-worst minus-seven rating.

After the Islanders signed Jonathan Drouin and Max Shabanov in free agency this past offseason, it was clear they weren’t penciling Engvall into a spot in the opening night lineup, even if he was going to be healthy. Before his injury designation, he was a speculative waiver candidate after passing through unclaimed twice last season.

If his recovery from ankle surgery stretches past the end of the regular season, it could prevent the Islanders from pursuing a buyout of his contract. If he’s healthy enough to be on the receiving end of one, though, it might be something they consider at a flat cost of $1MM against the cap for the next eight years compared to $3MM for the next four, although that drops to under $2MM if he’s in the minors.

Islanders Name Sergei Naumov Goaltending Coach

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Islanders have promoted AHL Bridgeport goaltending coach Sergei Naumov to the same role on their NHL bench, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Wednesday. Piero Greco, who had been the team’s goaltending coach since the 2018-19 season, has been relieved of his duties.

Naumov, 56, is a relatively new addition to the organization. He was brought in as Bridgeport’s goalie coach ahead of the 2024-25 season. The native of Latvia had spent the previous 15 years coaching goalies in the Kontinental Hockey League. He made stops with Dinamo Riga (2009-12), Donbass Donetsk (2012-14), Atlant Mytishchi (2014-15), Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (2015-18), and CSKA Moscow (2018-24).

In Moscow, Naumov worked with star starter Ilya Sorokin in the final two seasons of his international career before he made the jump to Long Island. The 2018-19 campaign, in particular, was some of Sorokin’s best work. In 40 appearances, he logged a 1.16 GAA, .940 SV%, 11 shutouts, and a 28-6-4 record. He led the league in shutouts before leading CSKA to a Gagarin Cup championship, recording a playoff-leading 1.19 GAA and earning MVP honors.

With Sorokin off to an unusually rough start in 2025-26, today’s change is clearly targeted at getting him back to top form with a coach that, theoretically, knows precisely what buttons to push. It took the 30-year-old until last night, his fifth start of the season, to record a save percentage above .900. On the year, he has a .873 SV% with a 3.90 GAA and a 2-3-0 record. He has conceded 1.7 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck. That number is 53rd out of the 63 goalies to see action so far and marks the first time in his six-year NHL career that he’s flirted with below-average territory.

In a league where goaltending is increasingly volatile from year to year, few can say they boast the consistency that Sorokin has brought with him since making the jump from the KHL. After spending the 2020-21 campaign as countryman Semyon Varlamov’s backup, Sorokin assumed the No. 1 job from 2021-22 onward and has finished top 10 in Vezina Trophy voting on every occasion, including a sixth-place finish last year and runner-up honors in 2022-23.

Of course, it’s still only October. There’s plenty of runway left for Sorokin to turn on the jets and come up with another All-Star-caliber season. He showed signs of it last night, allowing a season-low three goals on a season-high 36 shots faced against the Sharks. But evidently, the Islanders had developed enough concern with what they’ve seen technically from Sorokin to open the season to feel a significant and prompt change was necessary.

Alexander Romanov Expected To Return From Upper-Body Injury

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Alexander Romanov missed the New York Islanders most recent game against the Ottawa Senators due to an upper-body injury. He’s not expected to miss any more time. According to Andrew Gross of Newsday, Romanov is fully particpating in this morning’s practice, indicating he’ll return tomorrow.

After the Islanders traded Noah Dobson this summer, they were expecting Romanov to shoulder more responsibility on the blueline. The team showed that expectation financially, signing Romanov to an eight-year, $50MM extension, making him their highest-paid defenseman.

Unfortunately, even before the injury, Romanov hasn’t looked like the defensemen the Islanders need him to be. He’s gone scoreless through his first four contests with a -3 rating, averaging 18:12 of ice time per game. He’s shown some early progression in his possession metrics, though his isolated defensive play has been subpar at best with a 85.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength. Still, there’s plenty of time left in the season for Romanov to correct his play, and hopefully being healthy will aid in that effort.

[SOURCE LINK]

Islanders Activate, Reassign Daylan Kuefler

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Islanders have activated winger Daylan Kuefler from season-opening injured reserve and subsequently loaned him to AHL Bridgeport, according to the AHL’s transactions log.

Kuefler, 23, returns to where he’s spent the bulk of the last two seasons since turning pro. He’s in his final season of waiver-exempt status and of his entry-level contract, which he signed in 2023 and makes him a restricted free agent next summer.

A 2022 sixth-round pick, injuries have been a commonality for Kuefler. He’s begun all three of his pro seasons on SOIR, this time due to an upper-body injury. This year’s absence was his shortest. An undisclosed injury delayed his debut with Bridgeport in 2023 until December, while another issue had him out of the lineup until March last season and limited him to 16 appearances with the AHL Isles. As such, the former WHL Kamloops standout hasn’t had much of a chance to develop. He’s seen no NHL ice time and has only made 38 AHL appearances over the last two seasons, recording a 3-6–9 scoring line with a -10 rating and 48 PIMs. He also skated in 17 games with ECHL Worcester in 2023-24, where he had five goals and eight points.

The 6’2″, 190-lb winger was once a high-end threat in juniors. He was passed over in his first draft-eligible year in 2020 and again in 2021, but earned his selection by the Isles on the heels of a 38-goal, 59-point effort for the Blazers in 65 appearances in 2021-22. He was briefly one of the league’s top two-way forwards and tallied over a point per game for Kamloops in 2022-23, but simply hasn’t been able to find that kind of production in the pros.

As a result, he’s likely headed for a non-tender next summer unless he manages a big breakout with Bridgeport this year. He’ll have more runway to do it than he’s used to. If he can stay healthy throughout the campaign, his increased availability will be something of a story to watch for the Isles.

New York Islanders Reassign Calum Ritchie

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

According to a team announcement, the New York Islanders have reassigned forward Calum Ritchie to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. Ritchie had begun the year on the season-opening injured reserve, working his way back from a lower-body issue.

Ritchie was projected to return as late as October 17th. A report from a few days ago highlighted that he had been practicing with the Islanders, indicating that he was more likely to return early. He had scored one goal and two points in four preseason contests, averaging 15:24 of ice time, before suffering the lower-body ailment.

Despite beginning his season in the AHL, there is some hope that Ritchie could feature for the Islanders by the end of the 2025-26 campaign. Still, it’ll be his first long-term taste of professional hockey, spending most of last season with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals after skating in seven games with the Colorado Avalanche to begin the year. The Islanders acquired Ritchie at last season’s trade deadline in the deal that sent Brock Nelson to Denver.

He had an impressive year with the Generals, scoring 15 goals and 70 points in 47 regular-season games, and adding nine more goals and 25 points in 21 postseason contests. During the 2024-25 U20 World Junior Championships, playing for Team Canada, Ritchie registered one goal and one assist in five games.

Meanwhile, Ritchie could have more responsibility than most 20-year-olds in the AHL. Bridgeport finished the 2024-25 season as one of the worst offensive teams in the AHL, averaging 2.51 goals per game. Given his offensive prowess, Ritchie will likely find himself in a top-six role, giving him a larger opportunity to move up the depth chart should he find success.

Islanders' Calum Ritchie Resumes Skating

at CDT | by 1 Comment

  • According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, New York Islanders forward prospect Calum Ritchie resumed skating this morning, though there were no significant updates to his injury rehab. Ritchie, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche at last season’s trade deadline, is currently dealing with a mild lower-body injury. Regardless, despite him skating with the Islanders this morning, the bulk of Ritchie’s season is expected to take place with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Islanders’ Jonathan Drouin Suspended One Game

at CDT | by 6 Comments

1:20 p.m.: It’s a one-game suspension for Drouin, the league announced. In DOPS’ video explanation of their decision, they assert there is “no hockey purpose for Drouin’s cross-check.” Drouin asserted his cross-check was inadvertent in today’s hearing.

9:26 a.m.: Jonathan Drouin’s Islanders debut was a multifaceted one. He got the club’s first goal of the season in what ended up being a 4-3 loss to the Penguins, but was ejected with 15 seconds left in the contest for cross-checking Pittsburgh forward Connor Dewar, costing them any chance at a game-tying goal. He’s now going to have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety today and is facing a likely suspension, the league announced.

The play in question occurred after a whistle. As Drouin and Dewar were giving each other some shoves after play had stopped, Drouin raised his stick and delivered a high cross-check to Dewar’s face (video via Frank Seravalli of Bleacher Report). Suspensions for similar incidents over the past few years have usually warranted only one or two games. For someone without a history with DOPS aside from a $5K fine in 2022, it stands to reason his ban will be on the lighter side if he receives one at all. Since his hearing is over the phone, he’s only eligible to be suspended for up to five games.

Aside from that, it was a solid debut from Drouin after signing a two-year, $8MM contract in free agency. His goal was his only shot, but he had four attempts, logging almost 20 minutes of ice time while suiting up on the team’s top even-strength and power-play unit. The Isles outshot Pittsburgh 6-4 with Drouin on the ice at 5v5 and controlled 53.6% of expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick.

If he misses time, rookie Max Shabanov could see a promotion to top-line duties with Bo Horvat and Emil Heineman. Shabanov started camp on that unit with Horvat and Drouin, but ended up starting the year in a third-line role while Heineman got a bump late in preseason. He also scored last night in what was his NHL debut. If he moves up, Anthony Duclair could see a corresponding promotion to top-nine duties after playing opening night as New York’s fourth-line left wing. One of Marc Gatcomb or Kyle MacLean would enter the lineup after sitting as scratches for the opener.

Drouin still counts against the active roster while he’s suspended, so the Islanders wouldn’t be able to make a corresponding recall unless they free up a spot somewhere else.

Darche: George Assignment To Minors About Prioritizing Playing Time

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • Despite playing in 33 games with the Islanders last season, Isaiah George was sent to the minors today. Speaking with reporters (video link), GM Mathieu Darche indicated that the 21-year-old had a strong camp but the decision was made to prioritize playing time, something he’ll get a lot of with Bridgeport but wouldn’t have received in New York as the eighth defender on the depth chart.

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top