Islanders Notes: Seidenberg, Skarek, Soderstrom
The New York Islanders may have a familiar face join them in training camp, as Arthur Staple of The Athletic tweets that Dennis Seidenberg is expected to sign a professional tryout. Though there has been nothing confirmed from the team, bringing Seidenberg back makes some sense for an Islanders team that currently only has seven defensemen on one-way contracts. After losing Calvin de Haan and Brandon Davidson this summer, the team could potentially bring the 37-year old Seidenberg back as a depth option.
Seidenberg played just 28 games for the Islanders last year before captaining Germany at the World Championships, and doesn’t have anywhere near the upside he once carried. A rock solid two-way defender for parts of his NHL career, he actually had a sort of renaissance in 2016-17 with the Islanders when he recorded 22 points. That kind of performance can’t be expected, but if new GM Lou Lamoriello wants to bring back some experience to guide a club that is heading into the season without their long-time captain, there could be a fit.
- Andrew Gross of Newsday reports that goaltender Jakub Skarek won’t be staying in North America long, and is expected to head back to Finland in the coming days. Skarek, a 2018 third-round pick, signed his entry-level contract earlier this offseason but will play in the Finnish Liiga this season. The Czech goaltender is an interesting prospect in a pipeline that is filling up quickly with talent, something the Islanders have lacked at the NHL level for the last few years.
- Speaking of that goaltending pipeline, Linus Soderstrom may not be available for Islanders camp according to Gross. The 22-year old Soderstrom is expected to play in the AHL this season but is still recovering from surgery and is considered “day-to-day” at the moment. The 6’4″ Swedish netminder struggled last season in the SHL, but has previously posted huge numbers there and was named the World Junior Championship top goaltender in 2016.
Islanders Sign Jakub Skarek
Thursday: The team has officially announced the three-year deal.
Wednesday: The New York Islanders have signed goaltender Jakub Skarek to a three-year, entry-level contract. Skarek himself announced the signing via Instagram. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known. The 18-year-old was the 72nd overall pick back in last month’s NHL Entry Draft.
Skarek spent last season with HC Dukla Jihlava of the Czech Extraliga where he posted a 2.41 GAA and a .913 SV% in 21 games. He also played in five games for the Czechs at the World Juniors but struggled considerably with a 5.19 GAA and a .848 SV%. Despite that, he was rated second among international goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting.
Despite the contract, New York fans shouldn’t expect to see Skarek in North America anytime soon. He has already been loaned to Pelicans of the Finnish SM-liiga on a two-year agreement that carries an option for the 2020-21 season. It’s likely that he will play out at least the first two years in Finland and then reassess his situation from there.
As Skarek is just 18, his contract will be able to slide for up to two years assuming he doesn’t play in ten or more NHL games as expected. Accordingly, while he may be signed now, this three-year contract may not expire until five seasons from now.