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Josh Ho-Sang

Islanders Loan Josh Ho-Sang To The SHL

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Saturday: The Islanders officially announced (Twitter link) that Ho-Sang has been loaned to Orebro.

Friday: After not being invited to training camp and clearing waivers, Islanders forward Josh Ho-Sang has a place to play this season but it’s not New York’s AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.  Instead, the team has loaned him to Orebro of the SHL, reports Arthur Staple of The Athletic (Twitter link).  The agreement will be in place for the duration of the season overseas although Ho-Sang will be eligible to return to North America after the SHL playoffs are finished.

It has been a rocky road for the 24-year-old to say the least.  While he was a quality offensive player back in junior, it has failed to materialize into success at the professional level.  He has just 53 career NHL games under his belt where he has seven goals and 17 assists and after clearing waivers last year, he held out of reporting to the minors in the hopes of forcing a trade.  That didn’t occur and he eventually reported to the Sound Tigers before being flipped to San Antonio before the AHL trade deadline in a move that was believed to end his tenure with the Islanders.

Clearly that didn’t happen as the team tendered Ho-Sang a qualifying offer and avoided arbitration in late-October with a one-year, two-way deal worth $700K in the NHL and $225K in the minors.  With both sides agreeing already that it’s better for him to not be around the team, it’s hard to imagine there will be another contract for him with the Isles beyond this one.

Josh Ho-Sang Avoids Arbitration

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The New York Islanders and Josh Ho-Sang have avoided arbitration, signing a new one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Ho-Sang had a hearing scheduled for Friday, which will no longer be required.

Ho-Sang, 24, appeared to be heading toward a split with the Islanders after another testy season. He played only 16 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, requested a trade, and found himself sent nearly 2,000 miles away to San Antonio, loaned to the AHL’s Rampage. Even a qualifying offer was surprising, but the team obviously didn’t want to allow him to walk into unrestricted free agency without receiving any value back.

Now, on a two-way, league-minimum contract, Ho-Sang’s trade value may actually have crept high enough for something to get done. Teams around the league that need to fill out their lineup with cheap forwards could call the Islanders and give the talented offensive player a chance. While he certainly hasn’t proven anything to this point, Ho-Sang does have 24 points in 53 career NHL games and has always been able to contribute on the minor league powerplay.

The Islanders haven’t escaped arbitration completely just yet. The team still has a hearing with star defenseman Ryan Pulock scheduled for November 6, and also has a negotiation to complete with the ineligible Mathew Barzal.

Josh Ho-Sang Linked To KHL

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Wednesday: Pagnotta updates the situation, reporting that Ho-Sang has agreed to a one-year deal with a KHL team for next season.

Tuesday: It hasn’t been a great start to Josh Ho-Sang’s professional career.  While he was a strong producer in junior that helped him become a first-round pick in 2014 (28th overall), the Islanders prospect has struggled over the last few years.  He was seeking a change of scenery earlier this season and with that not happening, he appears to be working on a change of his own as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that the winger is closing in on a KHL contract for next season with an undisclosed team.

The 24-year-old cleared waivers at the start of the season but refused to report to Bridgeport, the AHL affiliate of the Islanders.  Instead, he went home to await a trade but one never materialized.  He eventually reported back and got into 16 games with the Sound Tigers before being loaned to San Antonio, the AHL affiliate of St. Louis in late February where he suited up six times before the pandemic hit.  His production wasn’t half bad over that stretch with four goals and nine assists in 22 games between the two teams.

Ho-Sang is slated to become a restricted free agent in October and while it seemed like he was heading for a guaranteed non-tender, a move overseas at this time might actually help keep him around with the Islanders.  There would be minimal risk to qualifying him if he’s already suiting up in the KHL as they’d be able to retain his rights without any risk of him accepting the offer.  If he plays well, it would give them the opportunity to try to bring him back down the road or trade his rights.  Whether that happens or not, a move overseas would give Ho-Sang a chance to try to rebuild some value and give him the short-term change he has been looking for.

Josh Ho-Sang Loaned To San Antonio

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It seems as though the awkward relationship between the New York Islanders and Joshua Ho-Sang is coming to an end, as today the team loaned the enigmatic forward to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. Ho-Sang has played just 16 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, after sitting out the first part of the year demanding a trade.

With the loan, Ho-Sang remains under control of the Islanders for the rest of the season but will get a chance to play for a different organization down the stretch. A restricted free agent in the summer, he seems destined to either be traded or go unqualified.

If he has played his last game for the Islanders organization, it is a disappointing end for a young forward that showed so much promise. Selected 28th overall in 2014, Ho-Sang has routinely put up strong offensive numbers at any level. Even in his sporadic NHL appearances he has recorded 24 points in 53 games, but it looks now like he’ll have to try to restart his career somewhere else.

Now 24, it remains to be seen which organization will give him a chance this summer. For now, he’ll play for the Rampage and try to prove that he can still perform at a high level.

Trade Deadline Primer: New York Islanders

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With the trade deadline now less than two weeks away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  Next up is a look at the New York Islanders.

The New York Islanders have posted almost exactly the same numbers that they had at this point a year ago. However, the difference this year that the competition in the Eastern Conference is quite a bit more challenging and leaves the Islanders barely holding onto a playoff spot at the moment. However, perhaps the most challenging issue facing the Islanders was the injury to defenseman Adam Pelech. The blueliner never got much attention when healthy, but the top-pairing defenseman is being sorely missed and with Barry Trotz’ lack of faith in rookie Noah Dobson, the other five defenseman have been assuming extra minutes to fill in for Pelech, suggesting the team needs to add some help at that position in the next few days.

Record

33-18-6, third in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$23.849MM in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: NYI 1st, NYI 2nd, NYI 3rd, NYI 4th, NYI 5th, NYI 6th, NYI 7th
2021: NYI 1st, NYI 2nd, NYI 3rd, NYI 4th, NYI 5th, NYI 6th, NYI 7th

Trade Chips

With the team looking to make an impact in the playoffs, it’s unlikely that general manager Lou Lamoriello would consider moving any of his pending unrestricted free agents, which include forwards Matt Martin, Derick Brassard, Tom Kuhnhackl and goaltender Thomas Greiss. That doesn’t leave too many trade chips for the veteran GM to play with.

The team does have all of its draft picks for the next two years and might be willing to move a first or second-rounder to get a deal done and bring over some needed depth. Another key asset is the team’s cap space. They have more than $28MM in cap space, if they need it, and could use that to take on a significant contract from a cap-starved team for a price.

The team also has a large number of prospects coming up the system with many of them already in the AHL. While it’s unlikely that the team moves a top prospect, Trotz as well as Lamoriello, are well known for preferring veterans, which means they might not mind moving a prospect for a significant piece now and with the challenges of recruiting free agents to Long Island, they may have to include a young piece to acquire a player with term. A player like Kieffer Bellows, who was brought up recently likely to showcase his talents, could be an option if the price is right.

Another option would be finding a partner for embattled forward Joshua Ho-Sang. After demanding a trade and sitting out for two and a half months, the 24-year-old forward has played well since returning to the AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers, scoring two goals and eight points in 12 games. Teams weren’t interested in H0-Sang when the team placed him on waivers, due to his well-known attitude issues, but a team might be willing to take a chance on him now just to see what he has left.

Five Players To Watch For: F Kieffer Bellows, F Michael Dal Colle, F Joshua Ho-Sang, F Tom Kuhnhackl, F Andrew Ladd

Team Needs

1) Veteran defense: With Pelech out and Dobson struggling in his rookie campaign, the Islanders are in desperate need of some veteran depth on their blueline and are extremely likely to add to that position before the trade deadline. While there are quite a few options available to Lamoriello, there are some obvious options, including a player that he is familiar with in Ottawa defenseman Ron Hainsey. With a group of young blueliners ready to step into their NHL lineup, Ottawa may be ready to move Hainsey.

2) Upgrade To Top-Six: While the team is well known for its defense, the Islanders could use an upgrade to their offense. New York has six solid players there, but adding some offense could allow the team to move some of those players to the third line, which hasn’t been that effective this season with the exception of Brassard. Again Lamoriello is quite familiar with Ilya Kovalchuk, who Montreal is considering moving, which might be a perfect fit with the Islanders. The team may also want to bring in a quality top-six player with term left who can be a significant long-term upgrade as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Hall, Ho-Sang, Raymond

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The Taylor Hall saga is over for now, but given that only one team could secure the scoring winger there is sure to be fallout all around the league. Clubs that were hoping to land him will now have to move in a different direction, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) examines seven of the suitors that had made inquiries over the last few weeks.

One of the most interesting is the Calgary Flames, who LeBrun writes felt they were offering a package of similar value to the one New Jersey eventually accepted from the Arizona Coyotes. While there may not be another player of Hall’s caliber on the market come the trade deadline, the Flames are obviously a team to watch after their recent surge in the standings.

  • The Bridgeport Sound Tigers will welcome Josh Ho-Sang back to the team after the disgruntled forward sat out the first part of the season. Ho-Sang has a “clean slate” with the organization according to New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello but will obviously need to work hard to move back up the depth chart. The 23-year old forward hasn’t played yet this season and was hoping to be traded to a new organization after failing to land a full-time job in the NHL.
  • Lucas Raymond has been cleared to join the Swedish World Junior squad after dealing with an infection that threatened his tournament status. The top 2020 draft prospect is still just 17 years old but is already playing at the highest level in Sweden and can add a dynamic offensive piece to whoever picks him next June.

East Notes: Ho-Sang, Bogosian, Kuhlman

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Josh Ho-Sang continues to wait for some sort of resolution to his situation as he continues to be away from the Islanders AHL affiliate in Bridgeport in the hopes of securing a trade.  While there has been no movement on this front over the past three weeks, TSN’s Darren Dreger notes (Twitter link) that GM Lou Lamoriello is still working to find him a new home.  In the meantime, the 2014 first-rounder continues to skate on his own to try to stay in game shape.  Ho-Sang was a productive scorer in junior but it has yet to translate to the professional level and he wound up clearing waivers at the end of training camp.  At this point, a swap of players that need a change of scenery – similar to the recent Chicago-Florida swap – seems like the eventual outcome although Ho-Sang may have to report to the minors to show the acquiring team that he’s in playing shape.

More from the East:

  • Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian was initially expected to miss five-to-six months after undergoing hip surgery back in April but setbacks have delayed that as he has yet to resume practicing yet. However, GM Jason Botterill told reporters, including Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald, that the veteran is expected to play at some point this season and noted that he has resumed skating.  Bogosian is presently on LTIR so Buffalo would need to get into salary cap compliance before they’re able to activate him.
  • Bruins winger Karson Kuhlman will miss at least a month due to a hairline nondisplaced fracture of his right tibia sustained over the weekend, the team announced. He will be re-evaluated at that time so in all likelihood, he’ll be out even longer.  The timeline means that Boston is eligible to place him on LTIR to give them a bit more recall flexibility with blueliner John Moore also presently on there.

Ottawa Senators Seeking Another Trade Addition

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While the Ottawa Senators are fully committed to a rebuild, their recent actions would also indicate that they would like to be more competitive than they currently are. The Senators are off to a 1-6-1 start and, as TSN’s James Duthie noted on the network’s “Insider Trading” segment, the team is in the bottom two in the league in scoring, power play efficiency, and shooting percentage. They tried to remedy their offensive struggles by adding Vladislav Namestnikov in a trade with the New York Rangers earlier this month, but they may only be the beginning.

Duthie’s colleague, Darren Dreger, reports that the team is seeking more help via trade and are looking for another “bargain” acquisition. Ottawa acquired Namestnikov, a former 20-goal and near 50-point scorer for a mere fourth-round pick and AHL defenseman. Since the trade, he has led the Senators with six points in six games. The team would ideally like to find another impact player at a similarly affordable price. Namestnikov’s production in Ottawa is obviously a function of his increased role, but the team seems open to handing another player that ice time and responsibility as well. Dreger notes that the Senators understand that their young players need time to develop and are not going to rush them to the NHL level simply because the team is not expected to make the playoffs this season. The team is trying to find a happy medium between properly developing their prospects and fielding a competitive NHL roster and feel adding another capable name could help.

Nearly every team in the NHL has a player on the outs who could take advantage of an increased role in Ottawa. The question becomes whether GM Pierre Dorion will be looking solely for another impending unrestricted free agent, like Namestnikov, or if he will also consider players with term remaining on their contract. The team could also look into cast-off prospects with NHL experience to take on major roles, as the Edmonton Oilers’ Jesse Puljujarvi and the New York Islanders’ Josh Ho-Sang continue to be available names with upside that could make them affordable additions relative to their potential production.

Penguins Notes: Trade Market, Ho-Sang, Malkin

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Over the weekend, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relayed the sentiment from Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford that he is “not really that excited” about the names available on the trade market. It’s an echo of comments that the veteran executive made this summer about teams being unwilling to part with value or make a deal that he felt was a fair swap. The Penguins entered the season with a surplus of defensemen and a shortage of cap space, hoping to make a deal from their depth. That need to make a trade has only been exasperated by both injuries to the forward corps as well as the unexpected emergence of John Marino as an affordable NHL option on the blue line. Rutherford remains on the hunt for a trade, but thus far to no avail.

With that said, the equilibrium of the trade market shifted today with the announcement by the Arizona Coyotes that dependable defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson would be missing three months with a broken leg. The timing could not have been better for the Penguins, as Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes that Arizona management was on hand in Winnipeg to watch the Jets host the Pens on Sunday ahead of their own match-up on Tuesday. The ‘Yotes are now another team that could be interested in acquiring a Penguins defenseman, particularly as they need to replace the solid defensive play of Hjalmarsson. Stay-at-home defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who was a healthy scratch for the Penguins last game, is one of the names available and would seemingly be a good fit in the desert. Arizona could also be interested in a cheaper addition like veteran Chad Ruhwedel or young Juuso Riikola. Of course, the player that most Penguins fans would like to be rid of is Jack Johnson – and the four years and $13MM remaining on his contract – but it remains a long shot that Pittsburgh will be able to trade Johnson without giving up another valuable piece of their own, whether they are dealing with Arizona or otherwise.

  • Another deviation from Rutherford’s comments comes in the form of a report that he has taken a liking to an available player. Dan Kingerski or Pittsburgh Hockey Now cites a league source that says the Penguins have talked to the New York Islanders about ostracized young forward Josh Ho-Sang. Ho-Sang has struggled to find a role with New York early in his pro career and after once again failing to make the team out of camp, he was instructed by GM Lou Lamoriello not to report to the AHL, but instead to wait for the team to find him a new home via trade. On one hand, the Islanders’ willingness to move Ho-Sang and the fact that he was already available on waivers this season means that the asking price is likely low. On the other hand, this means that Rutherford could solve his need for help up front, but would be unlikely to find a taker of one of his defensemen in the Islanders. Ho-Sang would be a good fit in Pittsburgh as a player with NHL experience and skill who can move back and forth between the AHL. However, it remains to be seen if Rutherford is willing to make a trade where one of his nine NHL defensemen aren’t headed the other way.
  • The timeline for Evgeni Malkin’s return from injury remains “uncertain”, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston this weekend. Malkin was injured when he went down awkwardly after a hit earlier this month and the Penguins have not updated his status with any concrete timeline. Johnston expects that Malkin will be out at least a month, dating back to when the injury occurred, which means there is hope he could return in early November. This would be the best-case scenario however and Pittsburgh is unlikely to rush him back, even in light of the three other regular forwards currently shelved by injuries. Malkin was not himself at times last year and his 21 goals in 68 games was far from the expectation. The Penguins would likely rather he take his time with recovery and get back to full strength before the second half and hopeful playoff run.

New York Islanders Recall Oliver Wahlstrom

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The 2-3-0 New York Islanders are in for an early-season shake-up. The team has announced that veteran forward Casey Cizikas has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. In his place, the team has opted to recall not a similar two-way forward, but instead top offensive prospect Oliver Wahlstrom. It is the first career NHL promotion for the 2018 No. 11 overall pick and could provide a needed spark for the Islanders.

Wahlstrom, 19, has been on an NHL trajectory since he was nine years old. A youth hockey phenom who developed elite stick skills at a young age, Wahlstrom was recruited by the University of Maine at 14 years old, before switching his commitment to Harvard University, and then finally Boston College, where he played last year. After recording 48 goals and 94 points with the U.S. National Development team in his draft year, Wahlstrom’s production at BC – eight goals and 19 points in 36 games – left something to be desired. There was a mutual agreement that it was in his best interest to jump to the pro level, where he has three goals and six points in nine career AHL games thus far. There is no doubting Wahlstrom’s ability on the ice; a dangerous scoring threat, he possesses a killer instinct around the net, matched by his skill at possessing the puck and create opportunities for his teammates.

With the right linemates, it would bot be a surprise to see Wahlstrom find immediate success with the Islanders. A strong player with a mature sense of the game, the rookie scorer should fit right in. There has been no indication yet as to where Wahlstrom will line up, but it won’t take long to find out, as the Islanders host the St. Louis Blues this afternoon. It’s safe to assume that he will draw in right away in hopes of providing a boost to the league’s fifth-worst scoring offense thus far. Wahlstrom has also been given Josh Ho-Sang’s No. 26, truly marking a changing of the guard in New York. The team plans on this No. 26 playing a bigger role for a longer time, that much is certain.

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