Islanders, Blues Swap Matt Luff, Julien Gauthier
The Islanders announced Tuesday that they’ve acquired forward Matt Luff from the Blues in exchange for Julien Gauthier. Both players were on AHL assignments at the time of the deal and will report to their new affiliates without needing to re-clear waivers.
Luff, 28, has held a very limited role as a call-up in St. Louis this season. He’s only appeared in five games, during which he’s scored once with a -2 rating. Head coach Jim Montgomery used Luff in the fourth-line slot he’s held for most of his career whenever he’s gotten a chance at the top level, averaging a career-low 9:08 of ice time per game. His lone call-up that led to playing time, back in December, marked his first NHL action since the 2022-23 campaign with the Red Wings.
In the interim, the 6’3″ Luff has been an exceptional minor-league producer. He’s appeared in 321 AHL games over the last 10 seasons, split between the Kings, Predators, Red Wings, Panthers, and Blues organizations, recording 0.78 points per game. The both-sides winger has clicked closer to a point per game over the last few seasons, though, and has 14 goals and 39 points in 42 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds this season. While the Isles do pick up Luff’s 111 games of NHL experience, he immediately becomes Bridgeport’s leading point-getter and will essentially operate as an AHL rental and call-up insurance before becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Gauthier can be a similarly impactful AHL producer when healthy, but that’s been a rarity since he first signed with the Islanders in 2023. The former first-round pick last appeared in the NHL in October 2024 and has only made 25 AHL appearances since then, recording an 8-7–15 scoring line in that timeframe. The Isles were reportedly looking to find a fresh start for him, according to Stefen Rosner of NHL.com, even though he was set to become a UFA this summer anyway.
The 28-year-old Gauthier will now make the Blues his fifth NHL organization. Selected 21st overall by the Hurricanes in 2016, the 6’4″ power forward was involved in a change-of-scenery swap with the Rangers four years later before being leveraged as bait to land Tyler Motte from the Senators at the 2023 trade deadline. He then landed with the Isles as a non-tendered RFA, and he ends his time there with nine points in 28 NHL games as well as 25 points in 40 games for Bridgeport, giving him just 68 total appearances over the last three years.
Alexander Romanov Resumes Skating
- According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, defenseman Alexander Romanov resumed skating for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery in mid-November. Unfortunately, despite the encouraging update, there is no change to his recovery timeline. Romanov, who’s tallied one assist in 15 games this season, isn’t expected to return this season unless the New York Islanders reach the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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Islanders Sign Scott Reedy To AHL Tryout
The AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders have signed center Scott Reedy to a professional tryout, per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. He has yet to play this season.
Reedy’s return to hockey comes over 11 months after his last appearance of any kind and nearly four years after his last NHL game. A fourth-round pick by the Sharks in 2017, he developed nicely over four seasons at the University of Minnesota and capped off his collegiate career with an All-Star, point-per-game campaign in 2020-21.
He turned pro and split the following season evenly between San Jose’s NHL and AHL clubs. He did well enough in a bottom-six role, scoring seven goals and a pair of assists in 35 games while seeing 11:11 of ice time per night. The speedy 6’2″ pivot also recorded 18 goals and 27 points in just 38 AHL games, leading to optimism he could be a solid depth contributor at the NHL level.
Reedy never got another chance, though. He was limited to five goals and 15 points in 38 AHL games the following season before being traded to the Stars. He was highly productive when healthy over the next season and a half, but was decimated by injuries. From his acquisition in March 2023 to the end of his contract following 2023-24, he only managed 30 appearances for AHL Texas while recording 11 goals and 17 points.
The Minnesota native went unqualified by the Stars that summer and ended up going unsigned until December, when he landed an AHL tryout from the Predators’ minor-league affiliate in Milwaukee. He finished out the year with four goals and nine points in 25 games before becoming a free agent again.
He’ll take the same pathway to playing time this time around, albeit with only about two months left in the campaign. He joins a much-improved Bridgeport roster that’s hovering around .500 this season after finishing with a disastrous 15-50-7 record in 2024-25.
Victor Eklund Expected To Play In North America Next Season
It has been a solid post-draft season for Islanders prospect Victor Eklund. Making the jump to the SHL level for the first time, he has put up 16 points in 34 games with Djurgardens while averaging 14:38 of playing time.
However, even though he’s playing a regular role at home, it appears that the Islanders have other plans for him next season. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News relays (Twitter link) that Eklund is expected to play in North America next season, either with New York or the minors where their farm team is expected to relocate from Bridgeport to Hamilton for 2026-27.
The 19-year-old was the 16th overall pick back in June, the second of back-to-back selections that were acquired as part of the Noah Dobson trade. Eklund spent last season in the second-tier Allsvenskan with Djurgardens, helping them earn a promotion to the top level this season. Heading into the draft, he was largely a consensus top-10 selection so the Isles certainly felt fortunate to get him where they did.
On top of his play in the SHL this season, Eklund served as an alternate captain for Sweden at the most recent World Juniors, a country that won their first gold medal in the event in 14 years. He finished tied for fourth on the team in scoring with two goals and six assists in seven games. That was a small improvement in points over his first time in the event in 2024-25 when he had four goals and two helpers in seven contests.
Eklund has already signed his entry-level contract, a three-year deal that technically began this season. However, since he isn’t playing in ten or more NHL games this season, the start of the deal will slide, meaning Eklund will still have three years left on his deal when he makes his debut in North America next season.
Jonathan Drouin Misses Game With Illness
- New York Islanders forward Jonathan Drouin missed the team’s loss yesterday with an illness, per a team announcement. Drouin, who has 20 points in 48 games this season, had been skating on a top-six line with the Islanders alongside Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair. Head coach Patrick Roy elected to elevate rookie Maxim Shabanov into Drouin’s role as his response to Drouin’s illness. While it’s not known exactly how long Drouin will miss as a result of being under the weather, it would be safe to consider him day-to-day.
Ritchie Out Until After Olympics, Cizikas Returns Tonight
- Islanders winger Calum Ritchie has been shut down until after the Olympic break, relays Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News. The rookie is dealing with a lower-body injury sustained last weekend and tried to skate on his own on Friday but wasn’t doing well enough to realistically be considered as an option to return over the next few days. Ritchie has been eased into his first full season of NHL action and has seven goals and eight assists in 40 games this season while averaging a little over 12 minutes per night.
- Still with the Islanders, the team announced that veteran Casey Cizikas will return to the lineup tonight against Nashville after missing Thursday’s contest due to illness. The 34-year-old has 14 points and 108 hits in 53 games this season but his playing time has dropped to 11:34 per game, his lowest since the 2012-13 campaign. Cizikas will take Max Shabanov’s place in the lineup tonight.
Islanders Open To Moving A First-Round Pick
The Islanders were busy in the first round of the draft last season, adding Matthew Schaefer first overall while making back-to-back selections in the middle of the round as part of the trade return for Noah Dobson. Thanks to the Brock Nelson trade last season, they have an extra pick on the opening night of the draft again this season.
But it appears that their goal might be to turn one of those selections into some win-now help. Speaking with reporters today (video link), GM Mathieu Darche indicated that the team is open to moving one of their first-round selections.
Darche has been busy in recent days, utilizing his LTIR space to add defenseman Carson Soucy and winger Ondrej Palat (plus two draft picks). They effectively serve as replacements for Alexander Romanov and Kyle Palmieri. However, Pierre Engvall is also out for the year and on LTIR while Semyon Varlamov hasn’t played at all this season and a return is unlikely. He’s also on LTIR and if the team knows he’s not returning, his LTIR room can be used. Combined, the team has around $6MM in space, per PuckPedia. That gives Darche lots of flexibility to work with.
A willingness to part with a first-round pick should only pique the interest of rebuilding teams or those who decide to become sellers in the coming weeks. Speculatively, Darche’s preference would be to move Colorado’s selection rather than their own since the former will be in the back few selections of the round while New York’s at the moment is closer to the late teens or low 20s.
Every year, several buyers move out a first-round selection and that pick can often yield an impact performer. With the Islanders being willing to part with one of those picks, they could be shopping in a higher tier of the market than their last two moves.
Islanders Acquire Ondrej Palat
6:45 PM: As expected, Ondřej Palát has been traded, as the New York Islanders acquire the veteran along with draft picks. Maxim Tsyplakov is headed to New Jersey, while the Islanders also bring in a third-round pick in 2026, as well as a sixth-round pick in 2027, according to TSN’s Pierre Lebrun.
There is no salary retention involved, as the Islanders inherit Palát’s full $6MM cap hit, reported by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
After long-standing efforts from New Jersey to move on, Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche brings in a familiar face in Palát, having spent several years together in Tampa Bay. The veteran shows a willingness to join the nearby club, being dealt despite a no-movement clause, where he will now try to help New York secure a spot in the postseason this spring.
Meanwhile, the Devils can finally turn the page, coming away with just under $4MM off the books, in what could prove to be a first step in more moves to come. Along with surrendering the draft picks, the team brings in Tsyplakov’s $2.25MM cap hit, which runs through next season. The 27-year-old has just two points in 27 games this season, originally coming over in 2024 after a 31-goal campaign in the KHL.
Tsyplakov, 6’3″, was effective in his first North American season, notching 35 points in 77 games in 2024-25, serving as an energy winger with some skill. The Russian finished the season ranked second on the team in penalty minutes, with 39, but has shown considerable improvement this year in avoiding infractions. However, due to the additions of Maxim Shabanov and Jonathan Drouin, New York had limited opportunites for Tsyplakov to showcase his offensive ability, needing him to be a more physical power forward, a role which proved not to be a fit.
Along with his 155 games of playoff experience, leading the team by a considerable margin, the Islanders are bringing in a winger more capable of bottom six contributions. As is well known to this point, Palát is not the player he once was, with 10 points in 51 games, but the 34-year-old has remained healthy this season and remains a solid utility winger.
Criticizing poorly-aging free agent deals of the past with the benefit of hindsight is a tired point, however, from the beginning, questions were raised on how Palát would age into his five-year deal. At the time, the Stanley Cup winner was expected to help along Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, but the wear-and-tear of three straight deep postseason runs with the Bolts played a factor into his Devils tenure. Dealing with injuries, the former seventh-round pick has seen his role gradually diminish, and concludes his time in Newark with a season-best of just 31 points. Palát was unable to adequately compliment the likes of Hughes and Hischier, which was a must at such a price point.
Tsyplakov figures to be a useful bottom-sixer for the Devils moving forward, now seeking to turn the page under Head Coach Sheldon Keefe and return to his form from last year.
Darche and the Islanders have been busy over the past few days supplementing their group. Just yesterday, he swung another deal with his other nearby rival, acquiring defenseman Carson Soucy from the Rangers for a 2026 third-round pick. Now with today’s move, the club replinishes their lost selection, also bringing in a motivated veteran.
Palát joins the Islanders at an exciting time, as they’re slated to have a home-and-home with the Rangers tomorrow and Thursday. On the other hand, Tsyplakov could debut for New Jersey as soon as Thursday, as his new club hosts the Predators.
5:30 PM: It appears the Devils are close to finding a trade partner for winger Ondřej Palát. The team is holding him out of tonight’s game against the Jets for “roster-related reasons,” per the team’s Amanda Stein.
The Devils’ efforts to shed Palát and his $6MM cap hit have dated back to last summer. Those only intensified into the season as New Jersey was close to the cap and attempting to make a splash on the trade market – widely assumed to be Quinn Hughes – but ended up not being able to pull the deal off. Not only does finding a willing taker for the declining veteran’s contract prove difficult, but he can block most moves with his 10-team no-trade list and no-movement clause.
Evidently, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has now found a team that’s not on Palát’s no-trade list and is willing to take on all or most of his deal, which expires after next season. The 34-year-old inked a five-year, $30MM deal with N.J. in free agency back in 2022 on the heels of three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances with the Lightning. He was also coming off three straight 40-point seasons, but never managed to hit that mark in a Devils sweater.
From the start, his production simply wasn’t there. Injuries took away nearly half of his first season in Newark, and last year, he only averaged 13:45 of ice time per game with 15 goals and 28 points in 77 contests. He averaged 55 points per 82 games during his 10 years in Tampa, but that number is down to 30 in Jersey. This year, he’s mustered 10 points in 51 games for a career-worst pace.
With that in point, Palát’s contract comes across as squarely a negative-value one that the Devils will be offloading an asset to move, even if they’re retaining a little bit of cash. While his possession impacts were something of a saving grace over the first two years of the deal, those, too, have now declined. New Jersey has controlled under 50% of shot attempts with Palát on the ice at 5-on-5 dating back to last year.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to officially break the deal.
Image Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Pro Hockey Rumors’ Bradley Keith also contributed to this article.
Islanders Reassign Isaiah George
The Islanders have reassigned defenseman Isaiah George to AHL Bridgeport, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com. That opens an active roster spot for fellow rearguard Carson Soucy to join the team after being acquired from the Rangers last night.
The move is just a speed bump in what remains a promising development path for George. In 2024-25, he went from an overlooked prospect from legitimate call-up option after notching five points in 33 games. He controlled 45.9% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 with a -3 rating while averaging 15:39 of ice time per game, virtually all of which came at even strength. While he didn’t move the needle much defensively, his skating translated well to the game’s highest level and, for a 20-year-old mid-round pick, certainly didn’t look out of place.
Coming into 2025-26, Matthew Schaefer falling into their lap and shoring up the left side made it hard to envision George turning last year’s momentum into a roster spot. That’s how it played out. He returned to Bridgeport to begin the campaign, but has put together a better all-around showing than he did as a rookie last year, notching a 2-8–10 scoring line with a +5 rating in 24 games.
Alexander Romanov‘s shoulder injury meant the Isles were dipping into their AHL depth to take on third-pairing duties on the left side over the last several weeks, though. After Marshall Warren and Travis Mitchell got some looks, it was George’s turn last weekend. He skated alongside Adam Boqvist in each of the Isles’ last two games, recording an assist and a shot attempt despite the pairing largely getting shelled at 5-on-5. They were out-attempted 26-7 and only controlled 18.2% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.
Now, with Soucy expected to hold down the 3LD spot for the remainder of the season behind Schaefer and Adam Pelech, NHL opportunities for George will once again be limited unless more injuries strike. He’ll be 22 next month, ahead of the final season of his entry-level contract in 2026-27, when he’ll look to make a play for a roster spot with Soucy, Boqvist, and Tony DeAngelo on expiring contracts.
New York Islanders Acquire Carson Soucy
9:40 p.m.: The Islanders have now officially announced their acquisition of Soucy.
7:10 p.m.: While no deal has been officially completed to this point, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports that the Rangers will receive a 2026 third-round pick from the Islanders in exchange for the veteran defenseman. That’s identical to the price the Rangers paid the Canucks to acquire Soucy in March of last year.
Soucy was held out of the Rangers’ lineup for their game tonight against the Boston Bruins for “roster management reasons,” a source with knowledge of the situation told Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. Again, while no trade has been officially announced, it appears overwhelmingly likely that Soucy will end up an Islander at some point in the very near future.
The Rangers also made two roster moves today to prepare themselves for the loss of Soucy. New York sent spare forward Anton Blidh back down to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, and recalled veteran blueliner Connor Mackey. Mackey’s recall gives New York a seventh defenseman for its active roster once Soucy is officially transferred to the Islanders.
12:20 p.m.: The Rangers and Islanders are deep in talks on a deal that would send defenseman Carson Soucy across town to Elmont, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports. If the trade doesn’t get materialized today, Soucy has still played his last game as a Blueshirt – he’ll be scratched for tonight’s game against the Bruins to protect him from an injury, Mercogliano said.
Soucy, 31, is purely a shutdown threat at this stage of his career. He was a fifth-round pick by the Wild back in 2013 and took a long development path through college and the minors before emerging as a full-time piece for the 2019-20 season. After two full years in Minnesota, he was plucked by the Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft.
Since then, Soucy hasn’t spent more than two full seasons with an organization. Upon becoming an unrestricted free agent for the first time in 2023, he inked a three-year, $9.75MM deal with the Canucks worth $3.25MM annually. He’s in the final year of that deal now, having waived his no-trade clause last season to facilitate a deal to the Rangers at the deadline. He now finds himself on the move once again, but won’t need to travel very far as the New York clubs complete their first trade with each other since 2010 and just the fourth all-time.
At best, his free-agent splash in Vancouver can be described as fair value. He missed more than half of his only full season in Vancouver with various injuries before posting a career-worst -11 rating in 75 appearances with the Canucks and Blueshirts last season. This year, while his eight points and a +4 rating in 46 games look acceptable enough for a second or third-pairing threat, his underlying numbers show an uglier picture. His two most frequent 5-on-5 pairings, on the left side with William Borgen and Braden Schneider, have both controlled a team-worst 42.4% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. His 43.8% Corsi share at even strength also ranks last among Rangers defenders despite him seeing easier deployment than Borgen, Schneider, and Urho Vaakanainen.
Soucy was a great two-way piece lower on Seattle’s depth chart during his two-year run there, though, including a career-best 10 goals and 21 points in 64 games during the 2021-22 season. The 6’4″, 211-lb lefty also averages 101 blocks and 129 hits per 82 games for his career, so he brings a physical edge to an Isles blue line that’s lost high-paid shutdown threat Alexander Romanov for virtually the entire season due to a shoulder injury. With righty Ryan Pulock now also dealing with an upper-body injury, Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche won’t play the waiting game as the Isles gun for a playoff berth in the first year of the Matthew Schaefer era.
While Soucy’s acquisition is clearly targeted at ending the third-pairing lefty rotation that’s fallen in the hands of AHL call-ups Isaiah George, Travis Mitchell, and Marshall Warren in Romanov’s absence, there’s value in his versatility – he’s played plenty on the right side in his career with no real adverse effects. There’s also a benefit for the Isles’ budgeters in his contract structure. While he counts for $3.25MM against the cap, he’s only owed $2.5MM in actual salary this season as a result of his frontloaded deal.