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Trade Deadline Notes: Nelson, Boeser, Panthers

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The Trade Deadline has appeared over the horizon and teams like the Colorado Avalanche are already doing what they can to get out ahead of the pack. They acquired forward Jimmy Vesey and defenseman Ryan Lindgren from the New York Rangers this weekend, and could still be attached to some of the market’s top names. That includes New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson per The Fourth Period, who adds Nelson could be the cheap acquisition Colorado needs to bolster their top-six.

Nelson, 33, is in the sunset years of his career but he’s still managing to produce. He has 19 goals and 41 points in 60 games this season, just one point behind Anders Lee and Bo Horvat for the team-lead in scoring. Nelson also earned a nod from USA Hockey by making this year’s 4-Nations Face-Off roster, where he played in four games but didn’t manage any scoring.

Nelson scored 36 goals and a career-high 75 points in 2022-23, and followed it with 34 goals and 69 points last season. He may be beginning to slow down but his offense could be spurred once again with a move away from the Isalnders – the only NHL team Nelson has ever played for. Because of that exclusivity, New York will certainly need a convincing offer to part ways with one of their top scorers. Nelson also has a 16-team no-trade clause on his contract, which is set to expire this summer. That could help him dictate where he ends up – though the 2022 Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche would certainly be a fine landing spot as the vet chases his first Cup win.

Other notes swirling around the Trade Deadline:

  • Recent reports have pointed towards an impasse forming between the Vancouver Canucks and Brock Boeser after the winger declined a five-year, $40MM contract extension. Now it seems the wedge could be driven in further, with TSN’s Darren Dreger sharing that the extension offer has been rescinded and that the team is exploring all options. Boeser is struggling to follow-up after scoring a career-high 40 goals last season – but he’s still performing at a higher level than in his early career. He has 18 goals and 36 points in 53 games this season, putting him on pace for 28 goals and 56 points on the year. That’s helped along by Boeser’s 17.3 shoting percentage this season – a step down from his 19.6 percent last year but still far above his career average of 14 percent. A high shooting percentage could be inflating Boeser’s numbers, or he could have finally found the goal-scoring groove he was looking for. With offers no longer on the table, it seems that answer will be found by a deadline buyer in need of shooting talent. Boeser has a modified no-trade clause that allows him to exempt 10 teams. His deal expires this summer.
  • The Florida Panthers helped break the market open with their swap of top goalie prospect Spencer Knight for top defenseman Seth Jones. That move pushed Florida right up against the wall of the salary cap – but they’ve opened up more breathing room by placing star Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve. Florida is now projected to have $8.71MM in cap space on deadline day, per PuckPedia, and they’re expected to use it. Chris Johnston of The Athletic shared that Panthers general manager Bill Zito has proven ambitious in years past, and could see a chance to bolster his lineup a bit further. The Panthers have made the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the last two seasons, and took away hardware last year. They’ll have their sights fully trained on repeating the feat this year – and a boost to their depth offense or a new backup goaltender would go far towards solidifying their chances.

Islanders Place Matt Martin On IR, Activate Noah Dobson From LTIR

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Feb. 26: Per the NHL media site (and shared by Rosner), the Islanders have officially activated Dobson from the long-term injured reserve making him available for tomorrow’s contest. Additionally, New York has transferred center Mathew Barzal from injured reserve to LTIR to create the necessary cap space for Dobson’s return.

Feb. 25: It’s a lower-body injury for Martin, Rosner reports. Dobson won’t return tonight against the Rangers but is probable for Thursday against the Bruins, he adds.

Feb. 25: The New York Islanders have reportedly placed forward Matt Martin on injured reserve (as per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News), opening the door for them to activate defenseman Noah Dobson off LTIR. The Islanders needed to open up room for Dobson and could have placed a player on waivers to do so, however, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello opted to use IR to open up a spot.

Martin began the year on a PTO before signing a one-year deal for the NHL minimum ($775K) when the Islanders began dealing with injury issues. The 35-year-old hasn’t played since January 16th, making it unclear when he suffered the injury. The 12-game absence likely signals what the rest of Martin’s season will look like as he probably won’t see much action regardless of injury status, unless the Islanders trade away several members of their NHL roster or go through another bout of the injury bug.

Martin has dressed in 24 games this year for the Islanders, posting a single assist, 68 hits and 15 blocked shots. He carved out a nice NHL career for himself and was once a pretty solid forechecker but at this stage of his career, he doesn’t offer much at the NHL level. Martin has played very little when he has dressed, averaging just 7:47 of ice time per game and has been decimated on the possession front, posting a CF% of 35.4%.

Dobson is expected to be activated after the Islanders’ morning skate today. The 25-year-old hasn’t played since January 20th and has had a lower-body injury. His absence created a big hole for the Islanders as he has been averaging a shade over 24 minutes of ice time per game and has continued to be a terrific play driver. His offensive numbers have fallen off this season, registering six goals and 18 assists in 46 games, and he continues to be a polarizing player for Islanders fans who don’t see him as a fit on the power play and question some of his decisions with the puck.

Islanders’ Dennis Cholowski Clears Waivers

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Feb. 21: Cholowski passed through unclaimed, PuckPedia reports. He’ll presumably be removed from the Islanders’ roster in the coming days.

Feb. 20: The Islanders have placed defenseman Dennis Cholowski on waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’ll head down to AHL Bridgeport if he clears.

New York is set to come out of the break with an open roster spot, but there’s a high likelihood of Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock coming off standard IR and LTIR, respectively, before Sunday’s game against the Stars. Assigning Cholowski to the minors tomorrow or losing him to another team will open the second spot they need to activate both.

Cholowski, who turned 27 earlier this week, has seen his most extended NHL usage in a half-decade this season. Injuries on the Long Island blue-line have meant Cholowski, who began the year as the Isles’ seventh defenseman, has played in 33 of 55 games. Minutes have been hard to come by – his 12:48 ATOI is the lowest among New York defensemen with multiple appearances – but he’s been effective in them with a 3-7–10 scoring line and a plus-one rating. He’s far from physically involved, recording 30 blocks and only five hits, but the 2016 first-rounder has been a decent depth puck-mover in his return to semi-regular NHL minutes.

Unfortunately for him, how the Islanders responded to injuries to Pulock and Noah Dobson muddied his role down the stretch. They picked up a trio of puck-movers – Adam Boqvist, Tony DeAngelo, and Scott Perunovich – who all have more experience or a higher ceiling than Cholowski. It’s not a huge surprise the 6’2″ lefty is the odd man out upon Pulock’s return instead of any of their new pickups.

Cholowski has seen AHL action in all six of his professional seasons leading up to the 2024-25 campaign. If he clears, he’ll land a seventh, but there’s a decent chance a team looking for a cheap depth option makes a claim. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent on a league minimum contract, so there’s zero financial risk if he doesn’t pan out.

A claim would mean Cholowski moves to his fifth NHL organization. Since being drafted 20th overall by the Red Wings and spending three seasons in Detroit, he’s made stops with the Capitals and Kraken in addition to his time in Long Island. Cholowski initially landed with the Isles in free agency in 2022 after being non-tendered by Seattle.

Islanders Likely To Activate Ryan Pulock This Weekend

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Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock skated in a regular jersey at Thursday’s practice, Denis Gorman of Newsday reports, indicating he may be ready to return when the Islanders return to action Sunday against the Stars.

Pulock, 30, has not played since sustaining an upper-body injury on his first shift in New York’s game against the Hurricanes on Jan. 25. He missed seven games leading into the 4 Nations break, which was conveniently timed to cover most of his recovery period.

The Isles are still nowhere close to fully healthy on their blue line. No. 1 defender Noah Dobson, who hasn’t skated since being designated week-to-week with a lower-body injury last month, remains on long-term injured reserve alongside Mike Reilly, whose availability down the stretch remains doubtful after undergoing heart surgery in November. Nonetheless, Pulock remains a heavy minute-muncher for the Isles, averaging 21:55 over 48 appearances this season. His return to a top-four role will allow for easier assignments for overseas signing Tony DeAngelo, trade acquisition Scott Perunovich, and waiver claim Adam Boqvist – all of whom were brought in over the weeks leading up to the break to give them much-needed depth in the wake of Dobson’s and Pulock’s absences.

Pulock isn’t the routine 30-point defender he was early in his career, but he remains a serviceable top-four option. He has 3-13–16 with a plus-seven rating and ranks second on the team with 105 blocks. The latter stat indicates Pulock’s continued struggles to control possession over the past few seasons. He’s logged a Corsi share of 47.2% and an expected rating of -5.8 at even strength this year, both of which rank in the bottom half of Islanders skaters. His usual pairing with Adam Pelech has remained stout defensively but struggles to generate scoring chances, leading to a subpar xGF% of 48.2, per MoneyPuck. They’ve been the lowest-event duo of the four Islanders pairings to log at least 150 minutes together in 2024-25.

His return comes as the Islanders look to continue the momentum generated by an 8-3-0 run leading into the 4 Nations break, which put them back within shouting distance of a playoff spot. They’re four points back of the Red Wings for the final wild-card position but don’t have any games in hand and need to leapfrog the Rangers, Bruins, and Blue Jackets as well. It won’t be easy, but getting him (and Scott Mayfield, who missed their last four games with a lower-body issue) back in the lineup gives them veteran stability as they look to gain ground down the stretch.

Pulock Skates But Is Questionable For Sunday

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  • Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock took part in today’s practice in a non-contact jersey as he works his way back from an undisclosed injury sustained late last month. However, head coach Patrick Roy noted to reporters including Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that the blueliner’s availability for Sunday’s contest against Dallas remains uncertain.  Pulock is logging nearly 22 minutes a night and has 16 points in 48 games and with the Isles just three points out of a share of the last playoff spot, getting him back soon would certainly help their fortunes.

Islanders Working On Extension For Maxim Tsyplakov

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The Islanders have offered an extension worth around $3MM per season to pending restricted free agent right-winger Maxim Tsyplakov, agent Alexander Chernykh told Russian outlet Sport-Express (translated by Stefen Rosner and Matthew Page of The Hockey News). It’s unclear what length of contract the two sides are discussing at this point.

It would hardly be a surprise to see New York hammer out a deal with Tsyplakov before the trade deadline on March 7. The club has rocketed up the standings to a 25-23-7 record, 11 points out of a divisional berth in the Metropolitan but only four points out of a wild card spot. That bump in playoff odds to 32.5% (according to MoneyPuck) means a deadline retool is more likely than a complete selloff, meaning additional cost certainty for the 2025-26 campaign will come at a higher priority for general manager Lou Lamoriello.

Tsyplakov, 26, is one of the club’s more intriguing players and would have commanded a decent return if they decided to sell him off with one season left under team control. Undrafted, he was never on NHL teams’ radars throughout his professional career. That changed last summer on the heels of a massive 31-goal, 47-point breakout in 65 games for Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, ranking fourth in the KHL in goals. He generated interest from multiple teams on the international free agent, including the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, before landing a one-year entry-level deal with the Isles in mid-May.

Early in the 2024-25 campaign, Tsyplakov proved he could hang as not only a middle-six presence in the NHL but a top-six one. He scored a goal and logged a whopping 20:46 of ice time in his NHL debut against Utah, an overtime loss, and has remained a second-line option with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri for most of the season. His offensive production is decent – 7-18–25 through 51 games – and he boasts a plus-nine rating with a team-high 33 PIMs. He doesn’t shoot the puck with aplomb, scoring on 10% of his 70 shots on goal, but he averages nearly 16 minutes per game and is tied for second on the club with 108 hits.

Tsyplakov doesn’t see any penalty kill usage but has taken reps on the second power-play unit, pairing the special-teams deployment with good possession impacts at even strength. His 51.9 CF% ranks seventh among Islanders skaters with 10 or more games played, and his +3.3 expected rating ranks fifth.

If not for a three-game suspension in January for a hit to the head of Flyers center Ryan Poehling and a lone healthy scratch following the discipline, Tsyplakov would be on pace to play in all 82 games with an 11-29–40 scoring line. Paired with his physicality and solid defensive play, that’s good enough production to lock him in as a complementary second-line piece. A long-term commitment to a player on the wrong side of 25 with a limited track record as a true impact player professionally seems unlikely, but a bridge deal in the $2.5MM-$3.5MM range per season as outlined by Chernykh stands as a potentially high-value deal for the Isles over the next few years.

Trade Deadline Primer: New York Islanders

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break here, the trade deadline looms large and is less than three weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the New York Islanders.

Against all odds, the Islanders have a fighting chance at a sixth postseason berth in the last seven years. Despite organizational pillars Mathew Barzal, Noah Dobson, and Ryan Pulock all missing significant time due to injuries – and they all remain out as of the break – they’ve put together an 8-3-0 run and sit four points back of the Red Wings for the final playoff spot in the East. That will likely motivate general manager Lou Lamoriello to focus on extending his veteran pending UFAs, but will he be willing to lose them for nothing if talks aren’t productive?

Record

25-23-7, 6th in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Retooler

Deadline Cap Space

$1.95MM on deadline day + $7.775MM LTIR pool, 0/3 retention slots used, 49/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: NYI 1st, NYI 2nd, NYI 3rd, NYI 4th, NYI 5th, NYI 6th, NYI 7th
2026: NYI 1st, NYI 3rd, NYI 4th, NYI 6th, NYI 7th

Trade Chips

Despite ongoing preliminary extension discussions, veteran center Brock Nelson remains the best New York has to offer as arguably the most valuable rental asset still available on the market. He’s currently championship-bound with the United States at the 4 Nations, but in league play, the steady 33-year-old has contributed 17-18–35 in 55 games with a plus-one rating. While he’s on pace to fall short of the 30-goal mark for the first time since the shortened 2020-21 campaign, he’s still a veritable top-six talent.

He’s bounced between wing and center over the course of his career but has settled in down the middle. Faceoffs have routinely been a struggle for Nelson, but not this season. He’s winning draws at a career-best 53.2% clip, is averaging a career-high 19:10 per game, and should expect more goal-scoring down the stretch after finishing at 11.6%, nearly three points south of his career average, so far.

Nelson’s longtime linemate, winger Kyle Palmieri, is a pending UFA in the same boat. There’s been less said about extension negotiations there, but if Nelson isn’t sticking around for a playoff rate, there’s little use in not getting value out of Palmieri as well. The 34-year-old is still a bonafide top-six talent, tying Bo Horvat for the team lead in assists with 21 while tallying 37 points in 18:15 of ATOI. He’s one year removed from the second 30-goal campaign of his 15-year career, and while his $5MM cap hit may require a small bit of salary retention to get a deal across the finish line, he’ll net a significant return.

Outside of those two, there won’t be many Islanders drawing trade interest if they do decide to sell off assets and commit to a roster retool. All of their top talents (including Nelson and Palmieri) have some form of trade protection, and they’ve already tried and failed to move on from deals with term left like Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s $5MM AAV through 2025-26. They’ve also gotten their blue line work out the way early, acquiring veteran Tony DeAngelo and pending RFAs Adam Boqvist and Scott Perunovich to weather the storm in the absence of Dobson and Pulock.

It’s worth noting Dobson is a pending RFA who’s recently changed his representation, but rumors of him being on the trade market were again squashed by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Friday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

Team Needs

1) Offensive Needle-Mover: The Islanders’ offensive struggles aren’t a new or unforeseeable phenomenon. They rank 26th in goals per game with 2.73, the seventh year in a row they’ve been decidedly in the bottom half of the league. They’ll need to offload significant assets to make it happen – potentially even Dobson, whose name was reportedly discussed in a lone scenario for a first-line forward – but a bonafide 90-point player would give New York the offensive centerpiece they haven’t had on the Island since John Tavares’ departure.

2) Backup Goaltender: Ilya Sorokin has had to handle the lion’s share of starts since veteran backup Semyon Varlamov exited the lineup with a lower-body injury in early December. He was initially ruled as day-to-day but is now on LTIR and remains out indefinitely. No. 3 option Marcus Högberg did well in limited usage after being called up from AHL Bridgeport, notching a .947 SV% in seven appearances, but he’s now on IR and leaves the organization without a reliable option to relieve Sorokin as they look to stay in the race.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Islanders’ Noah Dobson Changes Representation

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New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson is making headlines during the NHL’s two-week break. According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, Dobson has parted ways with his agent, Andrew Maloney of Maloney & Thompson Sports Management. He will now be represented by Judd Moldaver and Olivier Fortier from Wasserman Hockey, with Fortier serving as his lead agent.

The news will undoubtedly spark speculation about Dobson, especially after reports suggested that the Islanders might consider trading their young defenseman. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman later dismissed these rumors, stating that New York is not actively looking to make Dobson available. Nonetheless, the recent agency change will likely raise more questions than answers.

It doesn’t necessarily indicate that a trade is imminent. Friedman’s reputation in these matters is well established, and the change in agency may suggest that Dobson is seeking a long-term agreement with the only organization he has ever been a part of. However, his new agent Fortier, has yet to add any long-term extensions to his resume. The highest-value contract Oliver has ever negotiated is the four-year, $11.8MM deal between Mathieu Joseph and the Ottawa Senators in 2022.

Dobson’s other agent, Moldaver, has more experience with contract extensions. The Wasserman veteran is responsible for a few of the largest extensions in NHL history. Moldaver negotiated Roman Josi’s $72.47MM extension with the Nashville Predators, Zach Werenski’s $57.5MM extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Auston Matthews’ $53MM agreement with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Connor McDavid’s $100MM pact with the Edmonton Oilers.

Depending on how things play out, Dobson’s salary could more than double in his next contract, which could be difficult for the Islanders to swallow. General manager Lou Lamoriello isn’t a stranger to long-term commitments, but only time will tell if he’ll be willing to do that for Dobson.

Islanders’ Brock Nelson Still Undecided On Extension

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Islanders forward and top trade deadline candidate Brock Nelson remains interested in an extension with New York but was otherwise noncommittal when asked about the subject by Ethan Sears of the New York Post on Tuesday following practice with Team USA ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into [a contract decision],” Nelson said. “I know everybody kind of wants an answer right now. That’s not how the world works. You don’t always get what you want.”

Nelson said that the opportunity retire an Islander, which could result in him becoming the franchise’s all-time games played leader, will be a factor. “Only knowing Long Island, only being an Islander, knowing how much history the team has and the legends that have played there before and what they’ve done plays into it as well.”

Sears references a report from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on yesterday’s 32 Thoughts podcast that Nelson’s agent, Octagon’s Ben Hankinson, will continue talks with general manager Lou Lamoriello during this month’s downtime while Nelson represents his country. Sources told RG.org last week that the Isles and Nelson had “option for a three-year extension” with a raise over his current $6MM AAV, but a separate report in the same article that the Islanders were beginning to shop around Noah Dobson was scaled back by Friedman yesterday.

Nelson, 33, is undeniably the top center available on the rental market after the Stars snagged Mikael Granlund from the Sharks last month. He’d help the Islanders recoup at least a first-round pick, something they need (even in a weaker 2025 draft) to continue restocking a prospect pool that ranks near the bottom of the league. He’s got 17-18–35 through 55 games, though, down from his 70-point pace over the past couple of years. His 11.6% shooting rate is shy of his career average, but there’s legitimate concern about his aging curve making any multi-year commitment with a raise attached age poorly and inhibit any retooling efforts on Long Island.

The 2010 first-round pick has suited up in 895 regular-season games for the Isles, fifth in franchise history and 228 back of Bryan Trottier for the franchise record. A three-year deal, assuming he stays overwhelming healthy, would get him across the finish line.

But while Nelson has denied speculation recently that him signing with his hometown Wild this summer was all but a formality, the opportunity to join a team deeper into a championship contention window – and one with the superstar scoring talent the Islanders lack – may be too much to turn down. Nelson ranks 13th in Islanders franchise history with 50 points in 78 career postseason appearances, including back-to-back runs to the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and 2021.

Friedman: Islanders Not Making Noah Dobson Widely Available

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Contrary to a report late last week, the Islanders are not actively making defenseman Noah Dobson available for trade, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

I don’t think he’s generally been out there. There’s too many teams that hadn’t heard it, so I’ll say this. If Dobson was discussed, he was discussed in a specific case or two or however many it was. There was one specific team or one specific player that the Islanders were looking at, and if they had gone down the road on that trade, then Dobson might have been included. I think that’s the fairest way to look at all of this.

Most would suppose the Canucks were the club Friedman’s referring to – including Friedman, who said Vancouver would be “very logical” but couldn’t report with certainty. He assumedly would have been part of the return for Elias Pettersson should a trade have crossed the finish line. Stefen Rosner of NHL.com and The Hockey News reported multiple times over the past few months, including as recently as last week, that the Isles have maintained interest in Pettersson since his name re-emerged in trade rumors earlier this season.

While it’s feasible the Islanders could offer up Dobson again as part of a return for a similarly valued asset, Friedman makes it clear they won’t be selling the 25-year-old as the centerpiece of a deal for futures. The 6’4″ righty is one year removed from a 60-assist, 70-point campaign that earned him an eighth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting. He hasn’t been as dominant offensively this season, mainly due to the club’s power play woes, but his 0.52 points per game still lead the Isles’ blue line, and his 143 shots on goal rank fourth on the team.

Of course, his season came to a halt nearly three weeks ago when he fell awkwardly on his right leg while attempting a check, landing him on long-term injured reserve. He’s listed as week-to-week and didn’t require surgery, and Newsday’s Andrew Gross reported at the beginning of the month that he’s expected to return to the ice during the 4 Nations break. There’s a chance he gets back into game action before the trade deadline as the Islanders, also hamstrung by injuries to Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock, among others, enter the break only four points back of a playoff spot.

The Islanders picked up a trio of puck-movers to help them out in Dobson’s and Pulock’s absences, but none of Adam Boqvist, Tony DeAngelo or Scott Perunovich are signed past this season. Neither is Dobson, a pending restricted free agent set to at least double his current $4MM AAV. The Isles have nearly $29MM in cap space for 2025-26 but also need new deals for notable RFAs Alexander Romanov and Maxim Tsyplakov as they continue extension talks with Brock Nelson.

Yet Dobson is the youngest and most established top-four player out of any of those names. He’s sticking around for the long haul unless, as mentioned, he’s leveraged for an elite forward who can jumpstart an Islanders’ offense that’s ranked in the bottom ten every season since 2017-18.

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