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Islanders Sign Jesse Pulkkinen To Entry-Level Contract

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According to player agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey, the New York Islanders have signed Jesse Pulkkinen to a three-year, entry-level contract. Like most signings from the Islanders organization, the deal’s financial terms were not disclosed and likely won’t be until the end of the summer.

Pulkkinen has spent the last five years coming up through the JYP system of the Finnish Liiga; culminating in being selected with the 54th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft. He scored 11 goals and 28 points for JYP’s U20 team in 18 games while also collecting two goals and eight points in 29 games for JYP’s top team in the Liiga. He played in 12 contests for Team Finland’s U20 roster last year and scored four goals and eight points overall.

According to multiple scouting reports for Pulkkinen, the Finnish defenseman has above-average puckhandling skills and is also unafraid to use his body during the play. Pulkkinen regularly used his puckhandling ability to lead the forecheck while using his 6’6″ frame to his advantage against opponents.

There are some criticisms around Pulkkinen’s ability to read the ice and make a good first pass. As a second-year draft-eligible player during the 2024 NHL Draft, Pulkkinen may be several years away from impacting the Islanders’ organization. If his development continues and he can improve upon his weaknesses, there is no question Pulkkinen has the opportunity to crack New York’s top four in the future.

Islanders Sign Liam Foudy, Re-Sign Tyce Thompson

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The Islanders have made a pair of moves up front as PuckPedia reports (Twitter links) that they’ve signed winger Liam Foudy to a one-year, two-way deal and re-signed winger Tyce Thompson to a one-year, two-way agreement.  Foudy will make $775K in the NHL and $225K in the minors while the agreement has a guaranteed salary of $275K.  Thompson, meanwhile, will receive $775K at the NHL level, $175K in the minors, with a total guarantee of $200K.

Foudy was a first-round pick back in 2018, going 18th overall to Columbus.  However, he has had a limited role at the top level so far.  After playing in 62 games with the Blue Jackets in 2022-23, the thought was that he’d turned the corner and had at least secured a full-time roster spot heading into last season.

However, that wasn’t the case as the 24-year-old was waived early in the season and was claimed by Nashville.  The Predators kept him around for a dozen games before waiving Foudy again in December.  He cleared that time and was sent to AHL Milwaukee where he remained for the rest of the season.  He was productive at that level with 10 goals and six assists in 28 games but was non-tendered by the Preds last month.  While New York adds Foudy via unrestricted free agency, he’s still under club control through the 2026-27 season.

As for Thompson, he started last season in New Jersey’s system before being flipped to the Isles in late November.  Between their two farm teams, the 24-year-old played in 66 games, notching three goals and 16 assists but still landed a qualifying offer.  Thompson has 11 career NHL appearances under his belt but will need to play in 69 games next season to avoid becoming a Group Six unrestricted free agent next summer.

 

Oliver Wahlstrom Files For Arbitration

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Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and originally produced by the National Hockey Leaguer Players’ Association, 14 players have elected for salary arbitration this summer. The deadline for team-elected arbitration is tomorrow. Friedman also notes the arbitration hearings will happen between July 20th and August 4th. To add context, not every one of these players will appear for a hearing with their respective teams as they may continue to negotiate on a new contract. However, each player who elects for salary arbitration is now prohibited from negotiating with other teams or signing an offer sheet. Here is a list of the players that have elected for arbitration:

F Beck Malenstyn (Buffalo Sabres)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo Sabres)
F Martin Necas (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Jack Drury (Carolina Hurricanes)
D Jake Christiansen (Columbus Blue Jackets)
G Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Kirill Marchenko (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Joe Veleno (Detroit Red Wings)
D Spencer Stastney (Nashville Predators)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (New York Islanders)
D Ryan Lindgren (New York Rangers)
D Ty Emberson (San Jose Sharks)
D J.J. Moser (Tampa Bay Lightning)
F Connor Dewar (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Maxim Tsyplakov Likely To Crack Islanders Roster

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Since the start of the week, the New York Islanders have been fairly quiet in free agency, as their only notable moves were re-signing defenseman Mike Reilly and poaching forward Anthony Duclair from the free agent market. As one of only 11 teams in the 2023-24 NHL season to average under three goals per game, the Islanders were expected to pursue goal-scoring this summer. One of the team’s most peculiar moves in addressing this dilemma happened in May as the team signed winger Maxim Tsyplakov from Spartak Moskva.

In an article from Stefen Rosner and Matthew Page of The Hockey News, the future of Tsyplakov was brought up to general manager Lou Lamoriello at the 2024 NHL Draft and he said, “We did not sign him for Bridgeport. He’s an NHL-type of player“. Given the transition between playing in the KHL and the NHL, it is more than likely that Tsyplakov will start the year on the Islanders’ third line with the ability to move up to the second line if his play warrants it.

If all goes as expected in New York, Tsyplakov will become the strong secondary scorer that the Islanders have desperately craved over the past several seasons. Tsyplakov scored 31 goals and 47 points for Spartak this past season in 65 games. In the playoffs, Tsyplakov did not perform up to his standards from the regular season as he collected two goals and four points in 11 games while tallying 14 PIMs.

As he transitions to life in North America, it may be prudent for the Islanders to start Tsyplakov on the third line next to Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom. With Pierre Engvall and Anders Lee destined for middle-six roles this upcoming season, New York could have a flexible roster that could change in each game.

Islanders Sign Marc Gatcomb, Fredrik Karlström

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The Islanders have signed depth forwards Marc Gatcomb and Fredrik Karlström to one-year deals. Gatcomb’s is a two-way pact worth $775K in the NHL and $125K in the AHL, per PuckPedia. PuckPedia also reported Karlström’s signing as a one-way pact yesterday, but CapFriendly has his deal as a two-way worth $775K in the NHL and $250K in the minors.

It’s the first NHL contract for Gatcomb, who turns 25 later this month. That makes him slightly too old for an entry-level contract, so this is a standard two-way deal. After finishing up a four-year stint at UConn in 2022, he’s spent the last two seasons on AHL contracts with the Canucks’ affiliate in Abbotsford, where he’s totaled 12 goals, 16 assists and 28 points in 112 games. Most of that offense came this past season, recording nine goals and 20 points in 61 games.

Gatcomb’s development has been a slow climb since his freshman year at UConn in 2018-19 when he scored just one goal in 31 games. Now an everyday fixture at the second-highest level in the North American pyramid, he’ll look to take another step forward this season after he’s presumably assigned to AHL Bridgeport during training camp.

Karlström, meanwhile, does have some NHL experience to his name. The third-round pick of the Stars in 2016 made eight appearances during brief call-ups for Dallas in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, posting one assist and a +3 rating while averaging 8:18 per night. Since coming to North America three years ago, he’s spent nearly all of his time on assignment to AHL Texas, where he compiled 47 goals and 99 points in 184 games. He played in all 72 regular-season games for Texas last year and produced a career-high 21 goals and 44 points, along with a +14 rating.

He’s the more likely of the pair to see an NHL call-up this season, but both are likely slated for Bridgeport to open the campaign.

Islanders Sign Anthony Duclair, Mike Reilly

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The Islanders have signed winger Anthony Duclair to a four-year deal and re-signed defenseman Mike Reilly to a one-year deal, the team said in separate announcements. Duclair’s deal carries a $3.5MM cap hit, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Duclair is reunited with head coach Patrick Roy who he played for back in junior; Roy called to recruit him to the Islanders.  The 28-year-old speedster has bounced around over the years as this will be the ninth NHL organization he has played for as he enters his 11th season.

Last summer, Florida moved Duclair to San Jose in a cost-clearing move.  While he rebounded a bit after a tough showing in 2022-23, he was on a Sharks team who struggled considerably from a scoring perspective although he still managed 16 goals and 11 assists in 56 games.  Tampa Bay picked him up at the trade deadline and the fit was seamless as he added eight goals and seven assists in 17 contests down the stretch before adding a pair of assists in five playoff contests.  He should give the Isles some more secondary scoring on the wings moving forward.

As for Reilly, he started last season with Florida after being bought out by Boston, who is still paying him $1.333MM in cash for the upcoming season.  However, he was waived less than two months into the season after playing in just two games and was claimed by the Islanders who were dealing with injury issues at the time.

The change of scenery was certainly beneficial for both Reilly and the Isles.  He immediately stepped into a regular role and held it for the rest of the season, picking up six goals and 18 assists along the way while logging more than 17 minutes a night.  That was enough to convince GM Lou Lamoriello to keep him around at a $250K raise from the $1MM he made last season.  Reilly should reprise his role on the third pairing with some secondary power play time next season.

Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin To Reach Free Agency

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Speaking with the General Manager of the New York Islanders Lou Lamoriello, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports that veteran forwards Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin are expected to hit unrestricted free agency on Monday. Each player has spent more than a decade with the Islanders’ organization but the team appears headed for a different direction this summer.

Additionally, on the restricted free agent front, Gross relays that New York is prepared to qualify Oliver Wahlstrom but will also look to trade him this summer. As the 11th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, Wahlstrom may still hold some value as a change-of-scenery candidate; however, the prospects of that don’t look promising after numerous disappointing seasons with the Islanders. Over five years at the professional level, Wahlstrom has suited up in 193 games for New York but has only mustered 34 goals and 67 points over that stretch.

Even if Clutterbuck and Martin make it to the free agent market on July 1st, there isn’t a guarantee that either will leave the Islanders organization. Lamoriello has a habit of keeping his contract negotiations very close to the vest throughout his career and may wait to see how things play out after the first day. However, if New York does not retain either player, they are almost guaranteed a fourth-line role wherever they end up.

[SOURCE LINK]

Islanders Announce Doug Houda Won’t Return

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The New York Islanders have dismissed assistant coach Doug Houda, general manager Lou Lamoriello shared with Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News (Twitter link). Lamoriello added that the team will be retaining fellow assistant coaches John MacLean and Benoit Desrosiers. Lamoriello also shared that they will be announcing Houda’s replacement as soon as Monday.

Houda will be moving away from the Islanders after spending the last two seasons overseeing New York’s penalty kill. He didn’t inspire much, though, with the Islanders boasting the worst-ranked penalty kill in the league this season. It was a sharp fall from their top-10 ranking last year, and has seemingly earned Houda the boot.

Formerly a player, Houda racked up 561 career NHL games across 15 years in the league, spending extended time with the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres. He was a heavy, high-event defender who did well in shutdown roles. That’s the mindset he’s brought to his coaching career, which kicked off one year after his retirement, when Houda joined his alma mater Rochester Americans as an assistant coach.

Houda worked his way up to the NHL after just two seasons behind an AHL bench, proceeding to spend 10 seasons on the Boston Bruins’ bench, then six years with the Detroit Red Wings, prior to his pair of seasons in New York. While he certainly didn’t accomplish what he wanted to with the Islanders, Houda’s playing career and reputation as a loyal assistant coach will likely earn him a new role quickly.

Islanders Hoping To Extend Mike Reilly

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  • Another product of the University of Minnesota is looking to sign a contract extension with his current team. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports that the New York Islanders are working on an extension with defenseman Mike Reilly. After receiving little to no ice time with the Florida Panthers, Reilly was eventually claimed off waivers by the Islanders and gained the opportunity to make a significant impact. In 59 games after the waiver claim, Reilly scored six goals and 24 points in New York while also picking up some time on the powerplay. As the Islanders dealt with numerous injuries to their blue line last season, Reilly represents a capable depth option that can play in nearly any situation.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Islanders Sign Kyle MacLean To Three-Year Extension

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4:39 PM: According to CapFriendly, MacLean is expected to make $775K at the NHL level for all three years of the deal. The Islanders will have approximately $5.8MM in cap space heading into the summer months.

10:16 AM: The Islanders have agreed to a three-year extension with pending RFA forward Kyle MacLean, per a team announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed.

After spending the first three seasons of his professional career on minor-league contracts with the Isles’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, the 25-year-old inked his first NHL contract last offseason. An undrafted free agent signing by Bridgeport out of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals in 2020, MacLean earned his first NHL recall on Jan. 17 and remained on the roster for most of the rest of the campaign.

The son of Isles assistant coach John MacLean was serviceable in fourth-line minutes, posting four goals, nine points and a +5 rating in 32 regular-season games while averaging 10:05 per contest. By the time the playoffs rolled around, MacLean had worked his way into an everyday spot in the lineup, skating in all five postseason games in their first-round loss to the Hurricanes while playing nearly 12 minutes per night.

However, some advanced metrics yield cause for concern about his future effectiveness as an NHLer. MacLean struggled in the faceoff dot (42.5 FOW%), had an unsustainably high shooting percentage for a player without much of a goal-scoring history (15.4%), and controlled only 42.4% of shot attempts when on the ice at even strength despite seeing rather even defensive and offensive zone usage. He wasn’t tested on the penalty kill, either.

MacLean wasn’t afraid to lay the body, though, recording 60 hits, and was responsible with the puck when it was on his stick. He’s surely earned himself a spot on the opening night roster, as evidenced by today’s three-year commitment, but he’s likely better used as a 13th forward long-term than an everyday fourth-line center.

Head coach Patrick Roy will certainly have him in the mix for the spot entering training camp, though. A three-year deal puts him at 28 years old upon expiry in 2027, walking him to unrestricted free agency.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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