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New York Islanders Acquire Pierre Engvall

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The Toronto Maple Leafs confirmed that the team has traded forward Pierre Engvall to the New York Islanders for a third-round selection in 2024. After already trading away defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals earlier this afternoon, the Maple Leafs send another player out the door. Headed for unrestricted free agency at the conclusion of this season, Engvall adds another large and imposing forward to the mix for the Islanders. Standing at 6’5″, Engvall becomes a valuable player that the Islanders will now have on their roster.

As likely the team and fan base with the most desperation for Lord Stanley’s glory, GM Kyle Dubas continues to cultivate the Maple Leafs into an even more legitimate Stanley Cup threat. After having already acquired players such as Ryan O’Reilly, Jake McCabe, and Erik Gustafsson in various moves, Dubas was able to create even more flexibility for the Maple Leafs with this move. Set to become a free agent at season’s end, Engvall was on a one-year, $2.25MM contract this year. Drafted in the seventh round by the Maple Leafs in the 2014 NHL Draft, Engvall became one of the better depth forwards for the team over the course of the last several seasons. Scoring a career-high 35 points last year, Engvall will have the ability to show off his skill with another team in the playoff hunt.

Immediately becoming one of the tallest forwards on the team, Engvall will allow the Islanders to employ an even more imposing offense. Having already supplemented their goal-scoring issues with the acquisition of Bo Horvat earlier this year, Engvall takes more of a defensive approach to the game. With a Corsi-for above 50% in the last two seasons, Engvall’s team was controlling the puck more with him on the ice. One of the more defensively sound teams in the game, the Islanders will benefit from adding another forward who fits their mold and style of play.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report that Pierre Engvall was headed to the Islanders.

New York Islanders Recall Otto Koivula

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The New York Islanders have made a roster swap, sending Andy Andreoff to the AHL while recalling Otto Koivula ahead of tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Andreoff, 31, has played in three games so far this season, recording one assist in just 22 total minutes of ice time. The veteran winger has been mostly a minor league player for his decade-long professional career and has suited up just nine times with New York since joining the organization in 2021.

For the Bridgeport Islanders, though, he’s been a key player, scoring 20 goals in just 46 games this season. With Bridgeport entering a key three-in-four stretch over the next few days, he’ll be a welcome reinforcement.

Koivula, meanwhile, has played just one game for New York, the 21st of his NHL career. The 24-year-old forward has 25 points in 45 games for Bridgeport and continues to bounce up and down whenever the organization needs an extra body at the NHL level.

Mathew Barzal Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

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11:40am: The Islanders have clarified, explaining to reporters, including Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, that Barzal is “week-to-week” and is expected to return at some point this season.

10:30am: The New York Islanders will be without one of their most dangerous offensive players, as Mathew Barzal is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. The star forward suffered it over the weekend against the Boston Bruins, playing just three shifts before leaving the game.

New York would end up losing badly without him, and now may have to find a way to stay in the race without him for a long stretch. Indefinitely, of course, doesn’t necessarily mean Barzal will be out long-term but is usually the terminology used when a player has been ruled out but is still being evaluated for potential surgery. Hopefully, in this case that won’t be required, and the Islanders will have the smooth-skating forward back in the lineup before long. If not, their offense is going to take a significant hit.

Barzal, 25, has 51 points in 58 games this season and is part of a trio with Brock Nelson and Anders Lee that drives almost all of the Islanders forward offensive production. Jean-Gabriel Pageau (who is also injured) is the next highest-scoring forward with 29 points in 56 games, while Zach Parise is the only other forward with more than ten goals.

Luckily, the Islanders did just add Bo Horvat, who will likely be given even more responsibility than he already has. Horvat is averaging more than 21 minutes a night with the Islanders so far, and has three goals and four points in seven games since coming over from the Vancouver Canucks. If Barzal misses significant time, he will need to continue his outstanding season to help New York reach the playoffs.

New York Islanders Recall Arnaud Durandeau On Emergency Basis

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The New York Islanders have announced that forward Arnaud Durandeau has been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, on an emergency basis. The recall puts Durandeau in a position to make his NHL debut at the age of 24.

A sixth-round pick at the 2017 draft, Durandeau impressed scouts with his tenacity and feisty scoring ability. He scored 41 points in his draft season, before improving to 53 the year after and then 38 goals and 73 points in his final QMJHL season with the Halifax Mooseheads.

Durandeau signed a two-year, two-way extension with the Islanders over the summer, capping off an impressive breakout professional season. Durandeau’s pro debut in 2019-20 was uneven, and he spent 15 games in the ECHL. The following year, Durandeau scored eight points in 14 AHL games, and then last season he saw his production tick up quite a bit, to 15 goals and 37 points in 64 games.

He helped Bridgeport reach the AHL playoffs, and returned this season with the expectation that he would resume playing a major role. He has done just that, and ranks fourth in team scoring with 33 points in 48 games, behind two veterans in Chris Terry and Andy Andreoff, as well Ruslan Iskhakov, one of the Islanders’ top prospects.

While it’s unlikely that Durandeau plays any sort of major role for coach Lane Lambert during this emergency recall, he is the type of player who can impress in limited minutes. He’s grown to be a well-liked contributor in the AHL, and it would be no surprise if Islanders fans take a quick liking to his work ethic.

New York Islanders Reassign Otto Koivula

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Feb 14: Koivula has been returned to the AHL. He played in one game, but only received nine shifts.

Feb 13: The New York Islanders have made a few roster moves, dealing with a Casey Cizikas non-COVID illness. Samuel Bolduc has been returned to the minor leagues, while Otto Koivula is on his way back up.

Bolduc, 22, has played six games for the Islanders this season, most recently appearing last Thursday. The young defenseman is averaging just 15 minutes a night but did score his first NHL goal against the Seattle Kraken. Bolduc’s ceiling looks rather high, but he may have to wait a little while before he’s a regular in the NHL.

Koivula, meanwhile, hasn’t played at all for New York this season, spending the whole year in the AHL. The big winger has 10 goals and 21 points in 42 games there, but hasn’t been impressive enough to really force his way into the NHL. Through 20 career games, Koivula still hasn’t scored, adding just two assists in the process.

Injury Notes: Pageau, Tinordi, Faber

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The New York Islanders are without one of their best depth pieces tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Jean-Gabriel Pageau is out for tonight’s game against his former team with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day, per the team.

Pageau sustained the injury at practice yesterday, says Stefen Rosner of NYI Hockey Now. Reportedly, Pageau was “clipped” during a drill and was slow to get up, yet stayed on the ice for the remainder of practice. The 30-year-old center has 10 goals and 29 points in 56 games this season. This is his first absence of the 2022-23 campaign.

  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi is out for the remainder of tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an undisclosed injury, the team said. The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope notes that Tinordi had fallen awkwardly on a shift in the first period. Tinordi, 30, was claimed on waivers by the Blackhawks at the beginning of the season and has suited up in 26 games, recording five points.
  • One of the best prospects in hockey on one of the best teams in college hockey is out long-term. The Athletic’s Michael Russo agreed with reports today that Minnesota Wild defense prospect and University of Minnesota captain Brock Faber is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the Kevin Fiala trade, Faber has 20 points in 30 games with Minnesota this year after representing the United States at the Olympics and World Junior Championships last season.

Valtteri Pulli Drawing NHL Interest

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Most of the news right now revolves around the NHL trade deadline, as media members try to find out where everyone will be playing when the dust settles. But yesterday, Jeff Marek squished in another interesting nugget during the 32 Thoughts podcast for Sportsnet.

Valtteri Pulli, an undrafted Finnish defenseman, is drawing interest from several NHL clubs.

A number of teams that have shown interest but at varying degrees. I’ve heard of a couple different teams that are really hot on him, and a couple that just will kick tires. I’m having a hard time trying to figure out who is really aggressive and who is just curious.

It sounds like the teams with interest (and again to varying degrees) are the San Jose Sharks…the Winnipeg Jets, the Boston Bruins, the Vancouver Canucks, the Nashville Predators, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the New York Islanders. 

Pulli, 21, is a 6’6″ left-shot defenseman who is in his first full season for TPS in the Finnish Liiga, and has three goals and 14 points in 47 games. While those numbers don’t sound too impressive, he has shown flashes of high offensive potential, as he learns to use his massive frame to protect the puck and get it to dangerous areas.

Of course, flashes of potential don’t get you NHL minutes, and Pulli is by no means a finished product. He’ll turn 22 next month, though, meaning teams will have lots of time to try and develop him into an impact player.

Since he turns 22 next month, Pulli will be limited to a two-year entry-level contract when he does sign.

New York Islanders Allowed To Trade 2024 First-Round Pick

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  • The New York Islanders have a distinct pattern of trading away first-round picks, and they did so again by dealing their top-12-protected 2023 pick to Vancouver in the Bo Horvat trade. It’s such a distinct pattern that Islanders fans have been wondering if the team can still trade their 2024 first-round pick, despite its potential transfer to the Canucks if New York ends up with a top-12 pick this season. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports clarification from the NHL that says yes, they can. If their 2024 first-round pick is transferred to the Canucks after being traded in a second deal, though, the pick in the second trade would automatically slide to 2025. It’s something other general managers will keep in mind at this deadline if the Islanders deal their 2024 pick in an attempt to load up even more.

New York Islanders Activate Hudson Fasching

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The New York Islanders have announced that forward Hudson Fasching has been activated off of the team’s injured reserve list in advance of tonight’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The move leaves the team with a full 23-man roster.

Fasching has been out since a January 18th contest against the Boston Bruins due to a lower-body injury. He will in all likelihood resume his role on the Islanders’ fourth line, filling the role now-injured Cal Clutterbuck has long occupied next to Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin.

The 27-year-old has been a nice find for the Islanders this season and has set a new career-high in NHL games played with 19. While he hasn’t scored much (he has just three goals and five points) he’s provided head coach Lane Lambert with the kind of physicality and energy the organization has long valued in its bottom sixers.

Fasching arrived in the Islanders organization over the summer, signing a one-year, two-way contract. The prior season, Fasching had served as the captain of the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners for the Arizona Coyotes organization and scored 37 points in 51 AHL games.

Instead of serving as a leader and valuable power forward for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate, Fasching has firmly placed himself in the NHL mix as a depth forward and has likely earned himself another NHL deal in the process.

For players on the NHL-AHL bubble, life can sometimes lack stability as teams generally view these players as expendable. While Fasching’s play hasn’t changed that overall reality, it has so far changed his reality as he’s proved he could have more value to an NHL team than many might have believed a year ago.

New York Islanders Sign Bo Horvat To Eight-Year Contract Extension

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The New York Islanders have agreed to an eight-year contract extension with recent trade acquisition Bo Horvat. The terms of the contract have not been officially disclosed at this time, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the extension carries an $8.5MM average annual value. The deal will keep him under contract until he is 36 years old.

As reported by NYI Hockey Now’s Stefen Rosner, Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello had the following to say regarding this newly-signed extension: “It’s too long and it’s too much money.”

Lamoriello also noted that the contract was finalized as the first order of business this morning. When the Islanders initially acquired Horvat, the team had not yet discussed the framework for a contract extension.

The contract extension comes after the Islanders made a surprising trade to acquire the former Vancouver Canucks captain. The Islanders, who are already paying contracts with term attached to four centers, were not one of the teams most expected to be in the mix for Horvat’s services.

Given what the Islanders gave up to acquire Horvat, though, (a first-round pick Anthony Beauvillier, and prospect Aatu Raty) it makes sense that the team would be interested in retaining Horvat beyond this season.

The presence of Mathew Barzal ($9.15MM through 2031, kicking in next season), Brock Nelson ($6MM through 2025), Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($5MM through 2026) and Casey Cizikas ($2.5MM through 2027) didn’t stop Lamoriello from taking out his checkbook to pay for another pivot. With Horvat locked into the team’s forward core for the rest of the decade, it seems one of those Islanders will at least in the short term switch to the wing.

Horvat earns this max-term contract extension on the heels of the best offensive season of his career. Horvat’s career high in points is 61, and with 54 in 49 games this season he looks on pace to fly past that mark.

He already has 31 goals this year, which matches his previous high that he set last season. A two-time All-Star, Horvat is respected across the NHL for his leadership and two-way ability. Horvat has served as the Canucks’ captain for the past four years.

In his one taste of playoff action, he scored 12 points in 17 games, leading the Canucks to an upset victory over the St. Louis Blues in the first round and then through a seven-game dogfight where they nearly knocked off the first-seeded Vegas Golden Knights.

The playoffs are exactly where the Islanders are hoping to end up with Horvat, and despite long odds for this season this extension seems to be the franchise doubling down on their short-term competitive goals. It was only a short time ago that the Islanders looked like the second-best team in the NHL, losing back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the latter series going all seven games.

At the moment, the Islanders sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division with 25-22-5 record and 55 points. While they’re technically just two points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Wild Card spot, the Penguins have three games in hand, and the Buffalo Sabres (who are above the Islanders with 56 points) have two games in hand.

Even if the Islanders fail to make the playoffs this season, it’s true that this extension will improve their team’s odds of getting there in subsequent seasons. Horvat is an unquestionably talented player and someone who can be a great second-line pivot on a contending team. The Islanders have Barzal as their incumbent first-line center, though it’s possible that this signing shifts Barzal to Horvat’s wing.

Horvat is one of the league’s better players at the faceoff dot, and has won 56% of his draws this season. In contrast, Barzal has won just 35.9% of his draws. Should head coach Lane Lambert prefer a better face-off man as his first-line center, Barzal could very well end up on the wing moving forward.

The Islanders have quite a few pricey contracts for veteran forwards on their books, and this deal only adds to it. Barzal, Nelson, Pageau, Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Pulock, and Adam Pelech are all under contract beyond this season at above a $5MM cap hit. Horvat adds an $8.5MM hit on top of that and leaves the Islanders in a relatively precarious salary cap position.

With so much of their core locked into contracts, the team has been left with precious little wiggle room to make changes and upgrades to their roster. A rise in the salary cap would benefit them enormously, especially as Ilya Sorokin is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2024.

This is an Islanders team that has severely underperformed relative to what their veteran players have been capable of producing in the past. If Lambert and his coaching staff can get a few of these underperforming veterans to pick things up, then this can be a very competitive team in the near future.

But that’s far from a given, and many of their players have been trending downward for multiple seasons. Such a trajectory might cause some franchises to consider pivoting toward younger players and building toward another competitive window. Other franchises, like the Islanders here with this extension, choose to acquire more veteran talent to supplement the players they already have.

There’s no exact right answer to the question of what to do with an underperforming team. There are major risks to trading quality players for draft picks and prospects, and the allure of a low-pressure rebuild can shroud the very real possibility that the prospects acquired don’t pan out and the draft picks selected don’t meet expectations.

Building a competitive NHL team is hard. It’s a steep challenge, and while Lamoriello himself stated that the price tag attached to this deal is a bit high, it’s also unavoidable. Giving talented players contracts that might be somewhat unsavory is simply the cost of doing business in the NHL. if a team wants to get better, this is usually the area of the market they need to shop in.

Is this extension risky? Absolutely. The Islanders could continue their downward trend and be locked into another pricey contract for an aging veteran. The deal would absolutely be a setback. But looking at things more generously, Horvat could be exactly the kind of player the Islanders need to spark a team-wide resurgence.

Although those long-term question marks linger, the Islanders have unquestionably improved with Horvat’s acquisition. With this Horvat extension, they have ensured the source of that improvement doesn’t end up leaving for another team in just a few months, which is a bit of business that’s difficult to complain about.

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