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Islanders Rumors

Leo Komarov, Alex Nedeljkovic Clear Waivers

January 13, 2021 at 11:03 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 10 Comments

Jan 13: Both Komarov and Nedeljkovic have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues.

Jan 12: The big waiver day was yesterday, with teams putting dozens of players on the wire at the same time to prepare for the upcoming season, But the New York Islanders weren’t done there, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Leo Komarov has been placed on waivers today. After claiming Anton Forsberg from the Edmonton Oilers, the Carolina Hurricanes have also placed Alex Nedeljkovic on waivers.

Komarov, 33, has fallen off a cliff offensively since his early days with the Toronto Maple Leafs but is still a coach’s favorite given his in-your-face playstyle and defensive responsibility. To see him on waivers with the Islanders is something of a surprise, but certainly not much of a risk given his contract that carries a $3MM cap hit through the 2021-22 season. The Islanders are dancing a tight rope with regards to the salary cap and will gain some additional flexibility should Komarov clear. He’ll then be able to be moved at will to the taxi squad, periodically burying part of his cap hit.

Still, it seems likely that the veteran forward will get into the lineup at some point as the Islanders navigate the condensed schedule. A veteran of 457 regular season games, he played in 17 postseason contests with New York last year, scoring three points.

Nedeljkovic’s placement perhaps is even more surprising, given he was seen as the “goaltender of the future” for the Hurricanes relatively recently. The 25-year-old won the AHL Goaltender of the Year award for the 2018-19 season when he and the Charlotte Checkers took home the Calder Cup but did see something of a regression last season when he posted just a .906 save percentage in 29 minor league appearances.

Still, risking him to the rest of the league is certainly not ideal, especially if it was because of their claim of Forsberg today. While he has much more NHL experience, it still seemed as though Nedeljkovic had more upside. That is exactly the kind of reasoning a team may use to claim the young goaltender, though they would then need to carry him on the NHL squad until they can slip him through waivers themselves.

Carolina Hurricanes| Edmonton Oilers| New York Islanders| Waivers Alex Nedeljkovic| Anton Forsberg| Elliotte Friedman| Leo Komarov

10 comments

Islanders Officially File Contracts For Mat Barzal, Matt Martin, And Andy Greene

January 11, 2021 at 8:31 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

After coming to terms on an extension with RFA Mathew Barzal on Saturday and reportedly agreeing to new contracts with UFA’s Matt Martin and Andy Greene months ago, the New York Islanders have now officially filed the three contracts with the league, reports CapFriendly.

The terms of Barzal’s new contract are exactly as reported on Saturday. The three-year bridge deal will result in a $7MM AAV, but with increasing base salaries of a $3MM, $7MM, and $10MM before the skilled center becomes a restricted free agent again after the 2022-23 season.

Martin’s contract is also as previously reported: a four-year deal with a $1.5MM AAV. In fact, Martin will make exactly $1.5MM in base salary in three of those four seasons. However, for the 2020-21 season, Martin will earn a minimum base salary of $700K and an 800K signing bonus. Regardless of the structure, it is a nice contract for the veteran grinder, who will likely retire as an Islander at 35 years old when the deal expires.

The agreement with Greene had not previously been reported, but is what one might expect for a 38-year-old defender entering his 15th NHL season. It is a one-year deal for Greene, who some expected to finish his career last season after the career New Jersey Devil was dealt to the Islanders. Instead, he returns to give the Islanders his best for a full season rather than just a stretch run. Greene will earn a minimum base salary of $700K. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that he is eligible to earn up to $2MM in performance bonuses.

As CapFriendly notes, these deals set the Islanders up very well to take full advantage of the Long-Term Injured Reserve savings afforded to them by Johnny Boychuk’s “retirement”. New York would like to be as close to $6MM over the salary cap upper limit in order to fully use the subtraction of Boychuk’s cap hit. With these three contracts, they sit at $5.29MM over the cap with room for another minimum contract to be added to final roster.

That minimum contract could very well belong to Cory Schneider. The veteran goaltender has been linked to the Islanders alongside Martin and Greene for some time and has been in camp on a PTO. Although Schneider is only expected to be the club’s No. 3 goalie, likely a taxi squad member used as the emergency backup, he could begin the year on the official roster as that extra $700K man.

New York Islanders Andy Greene| Elliotte Friedman| Johnny Boychuk| Mathew Barzal| Matt Martin| Salary Cap

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Snapshots: Yandle, Podkolzin, Cizikas, Grubauer

January 10, 2021 at 7:55 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

While no decisions have been made yet or will be made in the coming weeks, Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville split his roster in practice, with the core of the team on one side and the fringe players on the other. One notable name on the wrong side of the ice was veteran defenseman Keith Yandle, who was working with the fringe players, according to FloridaHockeyNow’s George Richards.

Quenneville said those groups can change throughout this week, but he said he wants to see some of the team’s younger defensemen for a while. While it might be easy to dismiss a move like this, the team is trying to develop a better defense-first attitude, something that the highly-paid Yandle can struggle with at times. The 34-year-old blueliner still has three years remaining on his contract at $6.35MM per season, meaning there is a chance that Yandle may sit from time to time this season. Yandle’s playing time dropped last season under Quenneville after years of averaging more than 20 minutes. He averaged 19:42, almost three minutes less than the previous year.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman points out that this is worth keeping an eye on, especially since he is currently the top active player in the league in consecutive games with 866 and is fourth all-time.

  • The Vancouver Canucks are expected to sign and begin playing 2019 first-round pick Vasili Podkolzin later this season after his contract with KHL’s SKA-St. Petersburg expires on April 30. Of course after being a healthy scratch by SKA Saturday, rumors began that the 19-year-old Russian could be heading to Vancouver sooner than later. However, TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that there is no truth to the rumor. According to his sources, the plan remains to leave the forward with SKA for the remainder of the season.
  • Despite an injury prone season last year, New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas was hoping for a healthy season in 2021. Cizikas missed time with a left leg laceration and then suffered a detached retina in the postseason bubble last season. However injuries keep hitting the fourth-line forward. Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that Cizikas went down Sunday in a team scrimmage. Linemate Matt Martin and Cizikas sandwiched defenseman Thomas Hickey along the boards during the scrimmage and Cizikas went down in pain. He was attended to on the ice, then on the bench and taken into the locker room after the game. “He’s getting checked out,” coach Barry Trotz said. “The first indication may be more positive than negative. But I don’t have a firm update.”
  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said he expects goaltender Philipp Grubauer to be the team’s starting goaltender entering the season and expects him and Pavel Francouz to split games 60/40, according to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. Bednar is confident that Grubauer, who missed the first three days of camp, will be ready for opening night.

Colorado Avalanche| Florida Panthers| Injury| New York Islanders| Snapshots| Vancouver Canucks Casey Cizikas| Elliotte Friedman| Keith Yandle| Pavel Francouz| Philipp Grubauer

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East Notes: Zibanejad, Islanders, Devils, Voracek, Marchand

January 10, 2021 at 3:52 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 5 Comments

The New York Rangers have been trending upwards as they look forward to the upcoming season. However, one troubling aspect of training camp is the fact that their team leader and MVP Mika Zibanejad has missed the entirety of training camp with no explanation for his absence (standard league policy).

However, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that Zibanejad did skate Saturday before the team’s practice, suggesting he might be close to returning to the team. Head coach David Quinn said that Zibanejad has “had a couple of good days.”

The 27-year-old center had a breakout season last year, scoring 41 goals in 57 games and will be looked upon to lead the team once again.

  • The New York Islanders and general manager Lou Lamoriello signed Mathew Barzal to a three-year deal early Saturday, but there was hope that the two sides could agree to a six-year pact instead, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required). The two sides were discussing a deal similar to the six-year, $9.25MM contract that Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen signed last year, but the Islanders could not make that work. The hope was the team could unload the contracts of Leo Komarov and/or Thomas Hickey to free up the necessary cap room, but no team was willing to take either contract.
  • The New Jersey Devils could be looking the trade route to fill its backup goaltending spot on the roster after veteran Corey Crawford announced his retirement. The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes that they might be looking towards the Arizona Coyotes, who have quite a bit of goaltending depth, including Adin Hill, who Arizona would have to pass through waivers to get on the taxi squad. That could give New Jersey a chance to trade for Antti Raanta, who is in the last year of his contract and is earning $4.25MM.
  • Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault is completely focused on a long playoff run this season and has sent a message to veteran Jakub Voracek, who was moved off the first-team power play in practice and was told to step up, according to Philadelphia Enquirer’s Marcus Hayes. Voracek scored just 12 goals during the regular season, but especially struggled during the Flyers’ seven-game playoff series against the New York Islanders in which he had just one point. “I talked to Jake about this. I challenged him about this season. There’s a man who’s been in the league for a long time,” Vigneault said. “Basically, he’s won two playoff rounds.” Other young players are ready to take bigger roles on the team, including Oskar Lindblom, Nolan Patrick and Joel Farabee, which could put even more pressure on Voracek.
  • Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand, who is coming off sports hernia surgery, left practice early Sunday, according to Boston Globe’s Matt Porter. The 32-year-old was given a four-month recovery window in September, but Marchand returned early from that prognosis. While there is no word on why he left practice early, head coach Bruce Cassidy said he was getting treatment and doesn’t believe the injury is serious. He is a game-time decision for Monday’s scrimmage.

Boston Bruins| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| New York Rangers| Philadelphia Flyers| Utah Mammoth Adin Hill| Antti Raanta| Brad Marchand| Jakub Voracek| Leo Komarov| Mathew Barzal| Mika Zibanejad| Thomas Hickey

5 comments

43 Players Placed On Waivers

January 10, 2021 at 11:48 am CDT | by Zach Leach 5 Comments

As teams begin to make their final camp decisions with the 2020-21 season getting started this week, the ramifications are apparent in today’s waiver wire group. All nine players from Saturday’s waivers cleared, but that is less likely to occur Sunday with a much longer list, including some more notable names. The following players have been placed on waivers today:

Buffalo Sabres
D Brandon Davidson
F Steven Fogarty
F C.J. Smith
G Dustin Tokarski

Calgary Flames
G Louis Domingue
F Byron Froese
F Justin Kirkland
D Alex Petrovic
F Buddy Robinson

Colorado Avalanche
F Kiefer Sherwood

Edmonton Oilers
F Adam Cracknell
F Seth Griffith

Florida Panthers
G Philippe Desrosiers
F Scott Wilson

Los Angeles Kings
D Daniel Brickley
F Boko Imama

Minnesota Wild
D Matt Bartekowski
D Louie Belpedio
F Joseph Cramarossa
F Gabriel Dumont
G Andrew Hammond
F Luke Johnson
F Gerald Mayhew
D Dakota Mermis
D Ian McCoshen
F Kyle Rau

Montreal Canadiens
F Brandon Baddock
F Alex Belzile
F Joseph Blandisi
F Laurent Dauphin
D Noah Juulsen
G Charlie Lindgren
D Gustav Olofsson
D Xavier Ouellet
F Jordan Weal

New York Islanders
F Joshua Ho-Sang
F Mason Jobst

Ottawa Senators
D Maxime Lajoie

Pittsburgh Penguins
D Kevin Czuczman
F Josh Currie
F Frederick Gaudreau
G Maxime Lagace
D Zach Trotman

Among the names likely to receive attention on the wire are a trio of intriguing young players. Defensemen Noah Juulsen and Maxime Lajoie and forward Josh Ho-Sang have all seen NHL action in the past and have shown promise but for different reasons are now available to claim. Juulsen in particular looked like a long-term permanent piece on the Montreal blue line, but vision issues brought on by head injuries knocked him out of the 2018-19 season after 21 games with the Habs and limited him to just 13 AHL games in 2019-20. The Canadiens clearly want to see him get in some game action before returning him to the NHL roster, but another club may have more faith in the young defenseman, who allegedly is back at full strength. After 56 games with the Ottawa Senators in 2018-19, including a hot scoring start, Lajoie was somewhat inexplicably reduced to just six games with the team this past season. A versatile all-around defenseman who has already shown in a small sample size that he can hack it in the NHL, Lajoie could certainly draw interest from a team more willing to give him another chance. Ho-Sang, a first-round pick of the Islanders back in 2014, is on the outs with his club. A future in New York seems non-existent for a player whose effort and attitude have been called into question. His limited action last season also doesn’t help his case.  Yet, Ho-Sang’s skill is apparent and that alone is a cause for pause for teams scouring the waiver wire.

As for a more polished possible pick-up, Jordan Weal leads the pack as a veteran of over 200 NHL games who has posted an 82-game scoring pace of 25 points or more in three straight seasons. Seth Griffith is also no stranger to being passed around via waivers and Frederick Gaudreau is coming off a career-high 55 NHL appearances last season and has strong scoring numbers throughout his AHL career.

This waiver group could also provide goalie depth for a team in need (see: New Jersey Devils). Andrew Hammond, Louis Domingue, Dustin Tokarski, and Charlie Lindgren are all veteran net minders with NHL experience who could provide some stability in net.

Buffalo Sabres| Calgary Flames| Colorado Avalanche| Edmonton Oilers| Florida Panthers| Los Angeles Kings| Minnesota Wild| Montreal Canadiens| New York Islanders| Ottawa Senators| Pittsburgh Penguins| Waivers Adam Cracknell| Alexander Petrovic| Andrew Hammond| Buddy Robinson| Byron Froese| Charlie Lindgren| Daniel Brickley| Dustin Tokarski| Frederick Gaudreau| Gabriel Dumont| Ian McCoshen| Jordan Weal| Joseph Blandisi| Joseph Cramarossa| Kevin Czuczman| Kiefer Sherwood| Kyle Rau| Laurent Dauphin| Louis Domingue| Matt Bartkowski| Maxime Lagace| Noah Juulsen

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Islanders Agree To Terms With Mathew Barzal On Three-Year Contract

January 9, 2021 at 10:12 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

The biggest restricted free agent is unsigned no longer as the Islanders have agreed to terms on a three-year deal with center Mathew Barzal, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link).  Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed but Newsday’s Andrew Gross adds (Twitter link) that the AAV should be $7MM which ties him with Anders Lee as their highest-paid player.  Darren Dreger adds (via Twitter) that the breakdown of the deal is as follows:

2020-21: $4MM ($3MM salary, $1MM signing bonus)
2021-22: $7MM
2022-23: $10MM

Under the terms of the CBA extension, the qualifying offer required is the lower of the final-year salary or 120% of the AAV.  In this case, 120% of the AAV is $8.4MM so that will represent his qualifier in the 2023 offseason.

The 23-year-old burst onto the scene in 2017-18 and made an immediate impact, leading the team in scoring with 85 points (22-63-85) in 82 games.  While his production has tapered off a little bit since then, Barzal has still led the Isles in scoring the last two seasons and put up 19 goals and 41 assists in 69 games in 2019-20 before the pandemic hit.  He also had a strong showing offensively in New York’s run to the Eastern Conference Final with five goals and a dozen helpers in 22 contests.

So why did it take so long for this to get done?  The salary cap, of course.  Even after moving Devon Toews to Colorado and defenseman Johnny Boychuk’s career coming to an end (making him LTIR-eligible), GM Lou Lamoriello didn’t have much in the way in salary cap flexibility.  Even in this marketplace and without arbitration eligibility, Barzal had a case to push for something similar to the eight-year, $80MM deal that Buffalo center Jack Eichel signed two years into his entry-level deal.  That’s a price tag that they simply couldn’t afford.

Going the short-term bridge route has been the expected outcome for quite a while to the point where it’s a bit surprising that it took this long to complete although Dreger reports (Twitter link) that focus until recently had been on a six-year pact.  This approach will allow the Islanders to stay cap-compliant much easier and eventually complete a series of pending transactions that will involve contracts for wingers Matt Martin and Tom Kuhnhackl, defenseman Andy Greene, and goaltender Cory Schneider.  Meanwhile, from Barzal’s point of view, the term will put him one year away from unrestricted free agency with a guaranteed raise of $1.4MM via the qualifying offer while he’ll be arbitration-eligible as well.  That will give him a lot more leverage at that time as if he doesn’t get the terms he’s looking for, he can simply file for arbitration and position himself to hit the open market in 2024.

The deal currently puts New York roughly $3MM over the Upper Limit of the salary cap before taking Boychuk’s eventual LTIR placement into consideration.  It would be beneficial for them to try to get into compliance without needing to put Boychuk on LTIR right away as that would help maximize their in-season spending flexibility.  To that end, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Isles continue to try to clear out a contract as they’ve been trying to do in recent days and if that doesn’t happen, several of those underachieving veterans could be on waivers in the next couple of days to start another sequence of cap-related transactions.  Alternatively, they could sign some of the pending deals to get close to the Upper Limit, place Boychuk on LTIR to start the season, send some of their surplus roster down, and then announce Barzal’s contract.  Clearly, there is still some cap management to come.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

New York Islanders| Newsstand| Transactions Mathew Barzal

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Islanders Trying To Move Leo Komarov To Free Up Cap Room

January 7, 2021 at 8:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

  • The Islanders are trying to trade winger Leo Komarov, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). GM Lou Lamoriello is trying to free up some extra cap room with Mathew Barzal still needing a new deal and with Komarov underachieving since joining them, he’s a logical player to try to move.  Of course, in this cap environment, an underachieving fourth-liner with two years left on his contract at $3MM is going to be a tough sell and will likely require some sort of incentive to get another team to take the 33-year-old on.  Komarov had just four goals and ten assists in 48 games last season.

Boston Bruins| New York Islanders| Pittsburgh Penguins Kasperi Kapanen| Leo Komarov| Tuukka Rask

3 comments

What Your Team Is Thankful For: New York Islanders

January 7, 2021 at 7:52 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

We’ve now made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, the season hasn’t even begun. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for with the calendar having now flipped to 2021.

What are the Islanders most thankful for?

Some goaltending stability.

When Jaroslav Halak started to falter towards the end of his tenure with New York (one that had him buried in the minors at one point), there were some patchwork replacements added in Thomas Greiss and Robin Lehner (for one year) but neither were viewed as long-term starting options.  Then came Semyon Varlamov in the 2019 offseason on a four-year deal, providing some stability at the position.

They’re certainly also thankful that they were finally able to lure Ilya Sorokin to North America, using the ability to burn his one-year entry-level deal in the bubble to do so.  The 25-year-old has long been viewed as one of the best goalies outside the league and if he lives up to his potential, he could be pushing Varlamov for playing time before long.  All of a sudden, things appear to be set between the pipes.

Who are the Islanders most thankful for?

Center Mathew Barzal.  How could it not be him?  He has been in the league for three years and has led the team in points all three times.  The 23-year-old has quickly become one of the better playmakers in the league despite playing for a team that isn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut.  Getting a player like that in the middle of the first round is a great return on their investment, one that hasn’t cost them a lot financially so far.  That will soon change whenever his next contract gets signed.  While a long-term deal would be desirable from GM Lou Lamoriello’s standpoint, their cap situation would make doing so quite difficult.  Nevertheless, even a bridge deal will cost a pretty penny but the price will be well worth it.

What would the Islanders be even more thankful for?

Beyond getting a contract for Barzal in place?  The Islanders would be thrilled if they could get a similar performance from their back end this season as they did last year but that will be tricky without Devon Toews (a cap casualty that was traded to Colorado) and the injured Johnny Boychuk.  That will put a lot of pressure on youngster Noah Dobson, in particular, for the upcoming season.  He was certainly eased in last year but that is a luxury they can’t afford now; instead, they’re likely hoping for top-four minutes from him most nights.  Barzal adapted quickly to the NHL and became a star almost overnight.  Dobson is taking the slower approach but they’d be quite thankful for Dobson taking more than a step or two forward in his development in 2020-21.

What should be on the Islanders’ wish list?

Cap space.  They need some flexibility even with Boychuk’s eventual LTIR placement and with many teams either capped out or facing budgetary restrictions, this is hardly an ideal market to try and shed salary.  The Isles have several higher-priced veterans that have underperformed since signing their contracts so Lamoriello is going to have to be creative in order to make that happen.  There are plenty of dominoes to fall still (including Barzal’s contract and several PTOs being converted into NHL contracts) so this is certainly something that needs to be addressed quickly.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

New York Islanders| Thankful Series 2020-21 Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

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RFA Deadline Approaching Quickly

January 7, 2021 at 5:26 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

In a normal season, even restricted free agents that miss all of training camp have plenty of time to sign. To be eligible to play, they must have a contract signed and filed with the league by December 1, nearly two months after a normal NHL season begins. Two years ago we saw a negotiation go down to the witching hour between the Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander, with the young forward eventually signing a six-year, $45MM deal just before the deadline. Nylander was in the lineup by December 6, though he never seemed to get comfortable and ended up having arguably his worst season as a professional.

With a few notable restricted free agents still unsigned, now less than a week before the season begins, it’s important to note that they don’t have that two-month in-season window anymore. In fact, it’s less than a month between the start of the regular season and the RFA signing deadline of February 11 in this unique, shortened campaign.

That means for Jack Roslovic, Jesper Bratt, and, most importantly, Mathew Barzal, the clock is ticking. If they are not signed by that date, they cannot play this season at all.

In Roslovic’s case, the negotiations have led to a formal trade request. That doesn’t mean the only way he plays this season is with another team, but it certainly should inspire confidence that he’ll be inking a deal with the Winnipeg Jets anytime soon. The 23-year-old forward hasn’t gotten a ton of playing time in Winnipeg’s deep forward group but did generate 12 goals and 29 points last season in 71 games. Selected 25th overall in 2015 he obviously believes a change of scenery would be beneficial to his career, and it’s hard to argue that at this point given where he’ll still slot in on the Jets depth chart. If Winnipeg doesn’t give in or doesn’t receive an acceptable offer though, that signing deadline will put a lot of pressure on Roslovic to take whatever deal he can get just so he doesn’t spend an entire year away from NHL ice.

For Bratt, it doesn’t seem as contentious, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported recently that the New Jersey Devils forward is still in Sweden and there is a “bit of a gap” between the two sides. New Jersey just spent another $2MM on Sami Vatanen in free agency and, like in all of these situations, every day that passes gives another player a chance to show what they can do at camp. Perhaps playing in the SHL would be an option for the 22-year-old Bratt, but after a 32-point season in 2019-20 you would think he’d want to be part of what they’re building in New Jersey. He has just over a month to get something done if he wants to be there this season.

There are technically some other restricted free agents, including names like Henrik Borgstrom and Aleksi Saarela of the Florida Panthers, but they are already playing overseas and don’t have the kind of track record of the three mentioned.

That brings us to Barzal, who is one of the most fascinating stories of training camp so far. He was listed on the New York Islanders camp roster, but hasn’t appeared on the ice as the negotiations continue. Like any other situation that includes GM Lou Lamoriello, there is little information coming out, but Friedman discussed it today on the radio, explaining that this situation is not like some of the other high profile RFAs that have been in the news lately:

I don’t look at this situation here and see—like we know obviously there is a issue with [Pierre-Luc] Dubois in Columbus and we know there is an issue with [Patrik] Laine in Winnipeg, I don’t get any sense there is an issue with Barzal and the Islanders.

That doesn’t mean they have forever though, as not only has Barzal now missed a chunk of the already-shortened training camp, he’ll need a new deal before that February 11 deadline if he wants to play at all. For the Islanders, who have their eyes fixed squarely on a playoff spot in the tough East Division, missing Barzal even for a single game would have grave repercussions. The heartbeat of their offensive attack, the 23-year-old has 207 points through his first 234 NHL games and is expecting quite the salary bump on any contract.

The deadline isn’t two months into the season anymore. It’s just about a dozen games.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Free Agency| New Jersey Devils| New York Islanders| RFA| Winnipeg Jets Jack Roslovic| Jesper Bratt| Mathew Barzal

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Matt Martin Expected To Sign Four-Year Deal

January 5, 2021 at 11:19 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 7 Comments

The New York Islanders haven’t announced it yet, but word has come out that the extension for fourth-liner Matt Martin is quite a bit bigger than expected. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported today that it would be a “bit of a surprise” and that it would reflect the Islanders’ loyalty to the big forward. Arthur Staple of The Athletic tweets that it is expected to be a four-year contract with an average annual value of $1.5MM. New York GM Lou Lamoriello recently confirmed the team had re-signed Martin, but the contract has yet to be officially filed with the league.

Sure, a four-year deal for a fourth-line player is usually a surprise, but perhaps it shouldn’t be one in this specific instance. Martin is actually coming off two previous four-year contracts, one signed with the Islanders in 2012 and one signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016 (notably with Lamoriello, who was GM of the Maple Leafs at the time). This one will come in somewhere between the $4MM he earned on that first deal and $10MM he earned on his last, but still means that Martin will be more than twice as expensive as the league minimum.

For a player that scored just eight points last season and has a career-high of 19, this kind of commitment is exceedingly rare. But Martin is beloved in the Islanders locker room and does often impact the game positively, even if it’s not by putting the puck in the net. His defensive ability is actually a bit underrated, with opponents generating fewer shots when he’s on the ice, while he is also always among the league leaders in hits, something still valued by the tough-as-nails Barry Trotz system. The fact that Martin actually rarely takes minor penalties is also a rarity for a player of his ilk; in 2019-20 he took only five of the two-minute variety.

At one point in the past, the trio of Martin, Cal Clutterbuck, and Casey Cizikas was known as the most effective fourth line in the league. The Islanders obviously believe that the 31-year-old Martin can still be an asset in that role.

New York Islanders Elliotte Friedman| Matt Martin

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    Oilers’ Tristan Jarry Out Week-To-Week, Frederic Scratched

    Rangers’ J.T. Miller Out Week-To-Week

    Blackhawks’ Frank Nazar Expected To Miss Four Weeks With Injury

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    Blue Jackets Acquire Mason Marchment

    Canadiens Acquire Phillip Danault

    Hurricanes’ Seth Jarvis Injured, To Miss Time

    Flyers Recall Denver Barkey For NHL Debut

    Hoffmann Group Enters Deal To Purchase Penguins

    Oilers Have Made Multiple Attempts To Acquire Alex Lyon

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    Avalanche Recall Ilya Solovyov

    Evening Notes: Dickinson, Catton, O’Reilly, Maple Leafs

    Oilers’ Tristan Jarry Out Week-To-Week, Frederic Scratched

    Injury Notes: Kane, Montembeault, Bichsel

    Rangers’ J.T. Miller Out Week-To-Week

    Red Wings Activate Mason Appleton

    The Penguins Should Look Into Moving Some Veterans

    Wild Recall Ben Jones

    Metro Notes: Helenius, Leonard, Foerster

    Oilers Activate Jack Roslovic, Reassign Quinn Hutson

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