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Minor Transactions: 12/09/18

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It was a series of exciting results in the NHL on Saturday, with seven of ten winners scoring five or more goals. Both in games and goals, today should be a bit quieter with just seven contests on the docket. Flyers-Jets is a matinee worth watching this afternoon, while the Canadiens and Blackhawks compete in an Original Six match-up and the Battle of Alberta takes place later tonight when the Flames visit the Oilers. Whether preparing for a game today or for the week ahead, keep up with all today’s minor moves right here:

  • With a divisional face-off with the Boston Bruins awaiting them later today, the Ottawa Senators have recalled veteran defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer, the team announced. The Belleville Senators’ captain has been a frequent call-up for Ottawa, but more often than not as extra security. Burgdoerfer has only played in one NHL game so far this season, despite spending more than a few games up with Ottawa. The 29-year-old has been a solid presence in the AHL, leading Belleville with a +8 rating, but has yet to earn much opportunity to display his defensive abilities for Ottawa. Perhaps that will change on this most recent promotion.
  • Despite missing his minor league game last night due to recurring injury concerns, Gabriel Vilardi has been recalled by the Los Angeles Kings, per the AHL. Vilardi has been on a conditioning assignment with the Ontario Reign for the past few weeks, but has only skated in four games with merely one point. The 11th overall pick a year ago, Vilardi is still expected to grow into a very good two-way forward, but must first shake his injury issues. This recall could simply be to allow the Kings’ medical team to take a closer look, but hopefully it is more of a reflection of his readiness to make his NHL debut sooner rather than later. The Los Angeles Kings also announced they have recalled forward Austin Wagner from the Ontario Reign of the AHL. Wagner, who was assigned to Ontario on Friday, will return, likely due to possible extended injury to Kyle Clifford, who went down Saturday after taking a hit from Vegas’ Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The 21-year-old has played in 18 games for L.A. with a goal and four points.
  • The New York Islanders have returned Christopher Gibson to the AHL, now that goaltender Robin Lehner has returned to action. In a corresponding move, the team announced that young forward Josh Ho-Sang has been recalled from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Ho-Sang has been on a shorter leash under new head coach Barry Trotz and GM Lou Lamoriello and has yet to make his NHL debut this season. He has been very productive in the minors with 22 points in 26 games (albeit with only a pair of goals) which marks a greater scoring clip than his previous two seasons in Bridgeport. However, his scoring pace has not translated to the Islanders in the past and is unlikely to do so this time around. Another unsuccessful call-up for Ho-Sang could lead to the end of his time in New York, as quite a few teams would be interested in providing him a change of scenery.
  • Riley Barber is on his way back to Hershey, as the Washington Capitals announced that they have reassigned the young forward. Barber is second in scoring for the Bears with 18 points and hoped that he had earned a chance to suit up for the Capitals. Instead, Barber did not see any action on his recall and still has just three NHL games under his belt in four pro seasons, despite good production in the AHL.
  • The Calgary Flames announced they have recalled enforcer Anthony Peluso from the Stockton Heat of the AHL. He was a scratch last night for Stockton and it is believed he will be active for the Flames’ Battle of Alberta with the Edmonton Oilers to add a little grit to their lineup. Peluso has appeared in three games with Calgary this year, but has averaged just 4:40 of ATOI. He had played 16 games for Stockton with one goal, three assists and 29 penalty minutes. The team has sent forward Ryan Lomberg to Stockton to complete the roster move, according to Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg. Lomberg who received an automatic one-game suspension for instigating a fight with five minutes left in a game on Thursday against Minnesota, got an extra game from Department of Player Safety the following day. He sat out Saturday’s contest and will have to sit out another contest whenever he is brought back to Calgary.
  • The Minnesota Wild announced good news that veteran forward Mikko Koivu, who was injured in Thursday’s game when he was kneed by Calgary’s Mark Giordano, will only be out day-to-day. That’s a best case scenario as many had projected he may miss as much as three to four weeks. To fill in for Koivu in the meantime, the Wild announced they have recalled forward Luke Kunin from the Iowa Wild of the AHL. Kunin, the team’s 2016 first-round pick, has been playing in Iowa in hopes to getting his game up to speed after undergoing ACL surgery last season. The 21-year-old has fared well in the AHL as he has eight goals and 15 points in 21 games.

Injury Notes: Lehner, Morrissey, Hanzal

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When the New York Islanders recalled goalie Christopher Gibson earlier today and Robin Lehner was not present at morning skate, there was understandable injury concern about the keeper. Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that Lehner is in fact sidelined with injury, but not headed to the injured reserve. Gross spoke with Islanders head coach Barry Trotz, who would only confirm that Lehner has a “tweak” of some kind and is unavailable. Trotz did add that the injury is unrelated to Lehner’s chronic back spasms and instead a separate minor injury that occurred recently. Gross writes that the team is content to carry three goalies for now in hopes that Lehner is ready to return sooner rather than later. The free agent addition was expected to push for the starter’s role for New York, but instead has been outplayed by incumbent Thomas Greiss, who is off to a hot start. This injury is another setback to Lehner’s pursuit of the starting job, but he could returned refreshed and ready to contribute more to the tandem. Lehner has posted a .913 save percentage and 2.79 GAA this year compared to Greiss’ .926 save percentage and 2.42 GAA in four more appearances.

  • The Islanders’ competition tonight, the Winnipeg Jets, made a last-minute change to their lineup, subbing out workhorse defenseman Josh Morrissey. Morrissey was reportedly unable to suit up due to a lower-body injury, which is something to look out for moving forward. Morrissey leads all Jets skaters in total ice time this season, averaging close to 23 minute per night in all 26 games. In fact, tonight’s absence is Morrissey’s first due to injury in his entire three-year NHL career. Morrissey missed one late-regular season contest last year, rested before the playoffs, and missed one postseason game due to a suspension, but otherwise has been in the lineup for 205 of Winnipeg’s past 207 games. The team relies heavily on Morrissey’s dependable presence on the back end and any long-term absence for the two-way defenseman would be a major loss for the team.
  • On the other end of the spectrum is Dallas Stars forward Martin Hanzal. Since signing with the team in the 2017 off-season, Hanzal has missed 72 of a possible 110 games and counting with a serious back injury that required spinal fusion surgery. Some felt that Hanzal may never play the game again, but the team and player have been optimistic throughout the recovery process. Now, The Dallas News’ Matthew DeFranks reports that a comeback is imminent. Hanzal has been practicing with the team for some time, but there had been no word on whether he would be given the go-ahead for game action. Head coach Jim Montgomery told DeFranks that the status quo has changed, as Hanzal has been cleared to play and could return as early as Friday, when the Stars take on the San Jose Sharks.  Dallas has some roster management to do with Hanzal and his $4.75MM cap hit coming back, but he will be a welcome addition to the lineup if truly back at full strength. A hulking two-way power forward, Hanzal has consistently produced in the 30-40 point range throughout his career and would be a major boost in all areas of the game for the Stars.

Minor Transactions: 12/04/18

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The NHL Board of Governors are meeting again today in Sea Island, Georgia, and are expected to approve the league’s 32nd team. Seattle will be joining the NHL in the next few seasons, meaning teams will have to start working towards an eventual expansion draft. Meanwhile, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves they make in preparation for tonight’s games.

  • The New York Islanders have sent Stephen Gionta to the minor leagues, in order to recall goaltender Christopher Gibson. Arthur Staple of The Athletic notes that the Islanders didn’t have Robin Lehner on the ice at the option skate this morning, but have not issued an update on the situation yet. Lehner last played on Thursday, stopping 35 of 36 shots in a shootout loss against the Boston Bruins.
  • Sheldon Rempal is on his way back to the AHL, after the Los Angeles Kings have claimed two new forwards on waivers. Brendan Leipsic and Nikita Scherbak will enter the lineup before long, leaving little chance for Rempal to make much of an impression at the NHL level.
  • Since the Detroit Red Wings will be without Tyler Bertuzzi for the next two games and Anthony Mantha a lot longer than that, the team has recalled Wade Megan to help out up front. Megan has played six games for the Red Wings this season and is still looking for his first point.
  • The AHL’s Hershey Bears, affiliate of the Washington Capitals, have signed defenseman Ryan Sproul to a one-year contract, the team announced. Sproul has had a surprisingly hard time finding employment this summer, after registering five points in 16 games with the New York Rangers last season and seven points in 27 games with the Detroit Red Wings the season prior. Sproul failed to turn PTO’s into contracts with both the Toronto Marlies and Laval Rocket this season, before landing in Hershey even without a tryout. The capable puck-mover will immediately provide a boost to the Bears’ blue line this season.

Minor Transactions: 10/31/18

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It’s Halloween and the NHL has just a single game on tap, as the Chicago Blackhawks will take on the Vancouver Canucks this evening. As teams hand out tricks or treats to their fringe roster players, we’ll be right here to keep track of all the movement.

  • Ville Husso has been returned to the minor leagues by the St. Louis Blues, after Jake Allen rejoined the team at practice. Allen’s injury is apparently not as serious as originally feared, meaning Husso can go back to starting for the San Antonio Rampage for now. The 23-year old goaltender is still waiting for his first shot at the NHL, but has to clean up his game at the AHL level first.
  • Colby Cave, who was up on emergency conditions for the Boston Bruins, has been returned to the AHL. Cave, who played three games for the Bruins last season, is a hugely important forward for the AHL’s Providence Bruins, but was only brought up as insurance for some of the banged up NHL players. He’ll likely see some game action with Boston later on this season, but for now will return and try to extend his excellent start to the year.
  • The Minnesota Wild have reassigned Matt Read to the AHL, after seeing him play just five games in the NHL. The veteran forward will be used as an extra man this season and bounce up and down, clearing waivers when required.
  • Wade Megan has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings, while Joe Hicketts is on his way back to the Grand Rapids Griffins. This is Megan’s first recall of the season after clearing waivers just before the end of training camp. The 28-year old forward has four points in eight games with the Griffins, and will be looking to play just his fifth career NHL game if he can get into the Detroit lineup.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have sent Austin Wagner and Sean Walker back to the Ontario Reign, partly as a cap-saving move. The Kings find themselves pressed right up against the cap ceiling given their current roster, and are trying to save space by sending players down on short term assignments. The team will likely recall a forward before tomorrow’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, though since they’re in a long homestand could use the proximity of Ontario to their advantage and remain at a roster of 21 for as long as possible.
  • The New York Islanders have recalled Christopher Gibson under emergency conditions as Robin Lehner is dealing with a minor injury. Sending Tom Kuhnhackl down to the minor leagues in his place could mean that Cal Clutterbuck is ready to return, but for now the focus is on the goaltending position and how long Lehner will be out. Coach Barry Trotz didn’t believe it was a serious injury, but with Lehner playing so well to start the season it’s tough to see him taken off the ice at all.
  • Aaron Ness has been recalled by the Washington Capitals, while Travis Boyd has been sent down on a long-term injury conditioning loan. With Brooks Orpik dealing with a minor injury, Ness will serve as insurance for any pregame injuries.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Haydn Fleury from Charlotte of the AHL.  The 22-year-old played in four games with the Checkers while on loan from Carolina and while he may once again be the odd man out on their back end to start, he’ll at least be in better game shape when called upon.

Twenty Players Placed On Waivers

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It’s after noon Eastern and that means another round of players has officially been placed on waivers. This is day four that the NHL waiver wire has been open and so far 67 players have been exposed and just one – now Tampa Bay Lightning forward Danick Martel, formerly of the Philadelphia Flyers – has been claimed. Another 20 names have hit the wire today, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie:

F Steve Bernier (NY Islanders)
F Reid Boucher (Vancouver)
F Paul Carey (Ottawa)
D Tommy Cross (Columbus)
F Zac Dalpe (Columbus)
F Tanner Fritz (NY Islanders)
F Nathan Gerbe (Columbus)
G Christopher Gibson (NY Islanders)
D Kevin Gravel (Edmonton)
D Seth Helgeson (NY Islanders)
D Keegan Lowe (Edmonton)
F Brad Malone (Edmonton)
D Jaycob Megna (Anaheim)
D Dakota Mermis (Arizona)
F Julius Nattinen (Anaheim) – unconditional
F Jim O’Brien (Ottawa)
D Ethan Prow (Pittsburgh)
D Ashton Sautner (Vancouver)
D Dillon Simpson (Columbus)
F Mike Sislo (NY Islanders)

The list today is largely devoid of any flashy names likely to draw a claim. The majority of these players are veterans of the waivers process, having cleared several times in the past. It is curious how many are recent free agent additions, including Carey in Ottawa and Gravel in Edmonton, each of whom were one of their team’s biggest off-season signings. Cross and Simpson are also new arrivals in Columbus who were expected to compete for depth roles on the blue line.

Young defensemen Sautner and Mermis are perhaps the two most intriguing names up for grabs. Both made their NHL debuts last season amid strong AHL campaigns. Carey, while a known commodity, may have the best chance of being claimed. The 30-year-old played in 60 games for the New York Rangers last year and has been a reliable checking forward during his career. However, 30 other teams had a chance to sign Carey this off-season and passed up the opportunity, so they won’t all be clamoring for his services now. Boucher has been through the waivers ringer before, but don’t expect another go-round for a forward who has the ability, but can’t seem to put it all together.

Edmonton’s dismissal of Gravel and Lowe could indicate that first-round pick Evan Bouchard and/or young puck-mover Ethan Bear are in line for a job with the Oilers. Gravel in particular was penciled in as the extra defenseman for the team, so his relatively early cut from camp is not without some significance. Gravel is just one year removed from starting 49 games for the Los Angeles Kings.

Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that Ducks prospect center Nattinen has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination. No other details are currently available. Nattinen, 21, was a second-round pick not long ago in 2015 and was entering his second pro season. He recorded 12 points in 55 games last season for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.

Islanders Re-Sign Defenseman Seth Helgeson

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The New York Islanders are certainly keeping busy as they wait for a decision from John Tavares. In the team’s second deal in under an hour, they have signed defenseman Seth Helgeson to a contract extension. According to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, the deal nearly mirrors the one given to goaltender Christopher Gibson earlier today. It is a two-year, two-way contract that pays Helgeson the $650K minimum at the NHL level next season and $700K in the NHL in 2019-20, with a$250K salary in the AHL over both years.

Helgeson, 27, is coming off of his first season with the Islanders organization after signing as an unrestricted free agent last summer. Helgeson previously spent four seasons with the rival New Jersey Devils. A fourth-round pick of the Devils in 2009 and a four-year starter at the University of Minnesota, Helgeson entered the pros with high expectations of being a solid stay-at-home defenseman with room to grow. While his defensive game has always been steady, he has been underwhelming at the other aspects of the game. In both the AHL and NHL, Helgeson has struggled to produce points or move the puck and has gotten into frequent penalty trouble. In 50 NHL games – all with the Devils – Helgeson has just four points and a Corsi rating of 43.7%.

Last season, Helgeson failed to make an appearance with the Islanders and recorded one goal and eleven assists in 76 games with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He also recorded 137 penalty minutes, sixth-most in the league. At his best, the 6’4″, 220-lb. Helgeson is a big, heavy defensive presence who intimidates the opposition and plays a safe stay-at-home style. Often that can be the perfect type of stopgap emergency call-up player for NHL teams to stash in the minors. However, Helgeson’s play leaves a lot of upside to be desired and he will likely serve much of this two-year extension in Bridgeport.

Islanders Extend Goaltender Christopher Gibson

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The New York Islanders are hoping for good news on a much larger extension in the next 24 hours, but in the meantime they have come to terms on a new contract with minor league goaltender Christopher Gibson. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that it is a two-year, two-way extension for Gibson. The contract will pay him $650K at the NHL level and $225K at the AHL level in the coming season and $700K in the NHL and $250K in the AHL in 2019-20.

Gibson, 25, was set to be an unrestricted free agent this off-season, but the Finnish keeper was unlikely to draw much attention. The 2011 second-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings was once a highly-touted prospect. However, after a strong start to his junior career with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL that boosted his draft stock, Gibson stalled in his development over the next two seasons. The Kings chose not to sign him and he became a free agent acquisition of the Toronto Maple Leafs. After finding some success in the AHL with Toronto, Gibson was dealt along with four other prospects to the Islanders in a 2015 trade for Michael Grabner. Since arriving in New York, Gibson has been unable to get back to that same level in the AHL and has struggled greatly in his few call-ups. In twelve NHL appearances, Gibson has three wins, a .902 save percentage, and a 3.58 goals against average.

As it stands, Gibson is second on the depth chart for the Islanders behind Thomas Greiss. However, it is extremely unlikely that Lou Lamoriello and company wish to head into the regular season with either of those goaltenders in their current spots. Gibson has not yet proved that he is anything other than an average AHL goalie and until he does, he is likely to remain just an emergency option in Bridgeport. The two-way nature and minimum salary of his contract reflect this role. Yet, it alleviates any concerns that New York may have had about having to add multiple new goalies on the free agent market this off-season.

Snapshots: Islanders, Gudlevskis, Lucic, Canadiens

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The New York Islanders have made a coaching move, but not the anticipated one. Still lacking a head coach for his team, Lou Lamoriello has nevertheless made another change to the coaching staff, firing assistant Greg Cronin. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple confirmed the move, but added that no other coaching decisions have been made yet at the NHL or AHL level. Staple also had nothing to say about any of the motivations behind Cronin’s departure. Ironically, if Lamoriello was to tab Boston Bruins’ assistant Jay Pandolfo as his head coach, the Boston native Cronin would be an easy fix to replace him.

  • The Islanders have struggled in net for too long and need to make a change at goalie. That all but rules out recycling any of their unrestricted free agent goaltenders. Jaroslav Halak, Christopher Gibson, and Kristers Gudlevskis are all set to hit the open market and of the three, Gudlevskis faces the lowest chances of finding employment again in the NHL. Once a highly-regarded prospect for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Gudlevskis play in the AHL simply never reached an elite level that would have warranted an extended look at the highest level. This past season, he performed poorly and was handily outplayed by Gibson. As such, he may not have many opportunities in North America next season. It is no surprise then that Latvian news outlet OlyBet reports that Gudlevksis has had preliminary talks with Dinamo Riga, the KHL team in his native country. Gudlevskis was brought up in the Riga junior ranks and even appeared in two games with the big league team before coming overseas. Gudlevskis has never returned to Europe since and his preference would likely be to stay in the NHL, but it would be a natural fit with Dinamo if the offers don’t come from NHL teams this summer.
  • In today’s edition of TSN’s “Insider Trading”, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger have set the record straight about the trade market for Edmonton Oilers forward Milan Lucic. It was previously believed that the Oilers were shopping Lucic in hopes of ridding themselves of his contract, but in speaking with several team executives, LeBrun and Dreger feel that is not the case. Instead, they have heard that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli is seeking hockey trades rather than cap dump trades for Lucic. This would indicate that it is Lucic who has requested the trade and Edmonton is simply trying to oblige him.
  • One team rumored to be in on Lucic is actually out, according to LeBrun. The Montreal Canadiens, who pursued the power forward and former Bruins enforcer vigorously when he initially hit free agency, were speculated to again be interested in acquiring Lucic. The Habs could use some size up front and Lucic shared a strong rapport with coach Claude Julien when the pair were in Boston. However, LeBrun states that they are definitively “out” on Lucic.

Free Agent Focus: New York Islanders

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Free agency is now a little less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of New York’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Brock Nelson – Though all eyes in New York are watching a certain unrestricted free agent (we’ll get to that later), the team still has plenty of work to do with some of their restricted players this summer. One of those is Nelson, who while frustratingly inconsistent at times still has four straight seasons with at least 19 goals.

It’s not that Nelson is an integral offensive piece on a team that has plenty of weapons up front, but scoring goals in the NHL is a daunting task and those who can do it at both even-strength and on the powerplay aren’t that easy to find. For any team, secondary scoring threats like Nelson get paid exceptionally well and are a tough group to hold on to long-term. Even with his slightly reduced totals this season, he’s still heading into the summer in a strong negotiating position as this is his final year before qualifying for UFA status. That means any term the Islanders give is buying out UFA years and sending the average annual value of the contract skyrocketing.

D Ryan Pulock – It’s not just up front that the team has some tough decisions, as Pulock broke out this season and could be looking for a long-term deal. The 23-year old defenseman finally got his full-time chance in the NHL and crushed it with 32 points in 68 games. That came with the best possession stats of any defenseman on the team, while still taking his fair share of defensive responsibilities.

Pulock is only now coming off his entry-level contract and is not yet eligible for salary arbitration, meaning the Islanders could certainly wait to lock him up long-term. That said, he’s so clearly a part of their future on the blue line that the team may want to commit right away.

Other RFAs: F Ross Johnston, F Alan Quine, F Shane Prince, D Brandon Davidson, D Kyle Burroughs, F Kyle Schempp, D Devon Toews

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F John Tavares – It all starts and ends with Tavares, who is basically holding the free agent market hostage at the moment. Though John Carlson and others are fine prizes, no one is a franchise-changing player like Tavares in the prime of his career. The three-time 80-point man is coming off one of his most successful offensive seasons and he has proven time and again to be able to carry less talented wingers to big production.

Every team in the league would love to slide Tavares into their lineup, but it’s still unclear how many would really be able to put together the kind of financial package to entice him. Even that’s only if he ends up hitting the free agent market, something that may not even be likely at this point. Recently, when the Islanders fired their GM and head coach a new bout of speculation arose about Tavares’ connection with the franchise and intention to stick around. No one—except perhaps Lou Lamoriello, who could keep a secret from his son if he needed to—knows exactly where Tavares is headed. We’ll find out in just a few weeks.

D Calvin de Haan – Amazingly, Tavares isn’t the only important free agent the Islanders have. Though they already locked up Josh Bailey, de Haan and Thomas Hickey represent a good portion of their defense corps that is currently scheduled for the free agent market. The Islanders struggled in part this season keeping the puck out of their own net because of injuries to de Haan, who played just 33 games in total.

The 27-year old defenseman has shown flashes of brilliance over the years, like when he suited up for Canada in the 2017 IIHF World Championship, but has struggled to put it all together and become the top-pairing defenseman the team once hoped for. He won’t be paid like it this summer, but there will certainly be a market for him if he ends up leaving the Islanders.

Other UFAs: F Chris Wagner, F Nikolai Kulemin (headed to KHL), D Thomas Hickey, D Dennis Seidenberg, G Jaroslav Halak, D Kane Lafranchise, F Connor Jones, G Christopher Gibson, F Stephen Gionta, D Seth Helgeson, G Kristers Gudlevskis

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Offseason Keys: New York Islanders

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While the playoffs are ongoing, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the New York Islanders.

While the season for the Islanders started on a high note, especially on offense, the New York Islanders came back to earth in the second half as the Islanders limped to the finish line knowing they had no chance to compete for a playoff spot. Injuries to the defense as well as goaltending troubles haunted them for much of the year.

Sign John Tavares

Perhaps when the team was winning early on and the offense was one of the best in the NHL or when the team won their bid on the Belmont properties and started plans to build a new stadium there, the Islanders might have felt confident about re-signing star center John Tavares. However, after one stretch in which the team won just 17 of 55 games, the star may be ready to move on to a team that has a better shot at being making the playoffs on a more continuous basis.

Regardless, the Islanders didn’t even consider the idea of trading Tavares at the trade deadline to a point that there were few to no rumors flying around at that time. Do they have an idea that he has always intended to sign? Or is the team just hoping he will return to the franchise?

While most experts are starting to believe that Tavares is likely to move on, it also wouldn’t be that surprising if he opted to sign a long-term, maximum deal and stay on Long Island for the rest of his career. Regardless of his decision, the Islanders will either move forward with him or without him, then placing Mathew Barzal at the forefront of the franchise.

Upgrade their defense

The Islanders had few positives when it came to their defense. Looking like geniuses when they traded veteran Travis Hamonic to the Calgary Flames for a boatload of draft picks, the Islanders defense then faltered when Johnny Boychuk and Calvin de Haan went down with injuries for large chunks of the season. Instead, the Islanders found themselves with few top-four defensemen for much of the season and struggled giving up goals.

While some of the goaltending play can be blamed as well, the defense is what struggled and with a number of their blueliners hitting unrestricted free agency, including de Haan and Thomas Hickey, the team has a few decisions to make as well as have to figure out how to upgrade it. Boychuk, when healthy is a solid top-four defender, but at age 34 and four years remaining on his contract at $6MM AAV, how much can they count on him? The team needs to either move some of its picks in trades for top veterans or sign some key free agents to fill some of those gaps.

Find their goaltender

While the Islanders are finally free of starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak’s long deal and are unlikely to bring him back, the next question is where do they go to find a new starting goaltender. While they do have two talented prospects in Ilya Sorokin and Linus Soderstrom, neither is an answer for this upcoming season. Sorokin has already said he doesn’t intend to sign with the Islanders under entry-level contract conditions, while Soderstrom is coming off season-ending surgery at the beginning of 2018. Neither would likely have been ready to jump into the NHL anyway.

That will force the team to either trade for a goalie, such as Washington’s Philipp Grubauer, or more likely find a stopgap solution on the free agent market, although the free agent goalie market is quite weak this offseason. Players such as Carter Hutton or Robin Lehner aren’t sure things. The team had some success with AHL goalie Christopher Gibson, but he eventually struggled as well. The team does still have Thomas Greiss under contract for two more years, but that isn’t a better option.

 

 

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