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Julien Gauthier

Islanders Re-Sign Liam Foudy, Julien Gauthier To Two-Way Deals

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The Islanders are bringing back forwards Liam Foudy and Julien Gauthier for 2025-26 on two-way contracts, per a club announcement Sunday. Foudy’s financial terms haven’t been disclosed. However, PuckPedia reports that Gauthier will earn an NHL salary of $775K and a minor-league salary of $325K, with a $425K guarantee. Foudy was slated to become an RFA with arbitration rights on Tuesday, while Gauthier could have become a UFA.

Both are presumably destined for waivers in October and, if they clear, tons of ice time with AHL Bridgeport. They’ll hope to retain the seasoned pros as reinforcements for their struggling minor-league affiliate, which finished last in the AHL this season with a 15-50-4-3 record, including just four home wins. They’ve already made progress in replacing the entire coaching staff for the Baby Isles, naming former Flyers assistant Rocky Thompson as their new head coach last week.

The Islanders signed Foudy to a two-way deal last summer after he went non-tendered by the Predators, who claimed the 2018 first-round pick off waivers from Columbus but ended up stashing him in the minors for most of 2023-24 anyway. While the 25-year-old did get a pair of NHL games with the Isles early in the year, he successfully cleared waivers this time around and spent most of the year in Bridgeport. The versatile depth forward was one of just two Baby Isles to hit the 20-goal mark, adding 25 assists for 45 points. His eye-popping -31 rating was more a result of the team’s overall struggles than poor individual defensive play.

He’ll look to leverage his strong skating ability into increased offensive production for Bridgeport next year in hopes of earning more NHL opportunities than he did in 2024-25. He’s appeared in six straight NHL seasons with Columbus, Nashville, and New York but only has 104 appearances to his name, recording 22 points and a -29 rating for his career.

Gauthier, meanwhile, returns for his third season in the Islanders organization after signing a two-year, $1.58MM contract in 2023 following a non-tender by the Senators. He made a lone appearance for the Islanders back in October before returning to Bridgeport, where his season was cut short by an injury in late November. He did manage three goals and eight points in nine games for the club before landing on the injured list, though.

The 6’4″, 225-lb winger is also a former first-round pick who hasn’t managed to land a full-time NHL role over multiple seasons, going 21st overall to the Hurricanes back in 2016. He has slightly more NHL experience and production than Foudy, at 41 points in 181 career games. Now 27, he’s peaked as a top-six AHL producer with legitimate NHL call-up utility but doesn’t have much more room for growth.

Islanders Recall Liam Foudy

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The Islanders announced that forward Julien Gauthier has been assigned to AHL Bridgeport after clearing waivers yesterday. Forward Liam Foudy was recalled to take Gauthier’s place on the active roster and to enter the lineup in place of Anthony Duclair, who will miss multiple weeks after sustaining an apparent left leg injury against the Canadiens over the weekend.

Gauthier clears waivers and heads to the minors after making the Islanders’ opening night roster for the second year in a row. But while it took until February for him to get demoted to Bridgeport last season, his stint on the NHL roster lasted just a couple of weeks this time around. Gauthier sat in the press box for the first four games of the campaign and made his season debut against Montreal, posting zeroes across the board in 7:42 of ice time.

He never reached the potential most expected from him after going No. 21 overall in the 2016 draft. The 27-year-old has never scored more than 10 goals in a season and only hit double-digit points once, notching 14 in a career-high 57 appearances with the Rangers and Senators in 2022-23. Even that career-best production wasn’t enough for the Sens to keep him after acquiring him from the Blueshirts mid-season, opting not to issue him a qualifying offer at the end of the year. He landed with the Islanders on a two-year, $1.575MM contract.

His return to the minors gives Foudy, another former mid-first-round pick struggling to get off the ground, a chance at NHL minutes on Long Island. Once regarded as one of the better prospects in the Blue Jackets system, he’s looking to re-establish himself as a legitimate NHL option after being waived and claimed by the Predators last season and subsequently being non-tendered.

Foudy has split his professional career fairly evenly between the NHL and AHL by looking at total games played, but he was only ever a true fixture in the lineup for one team – the 2022-23 edition of the Blue Jackets. The results weren’t pretty. He tied for 13th on the team in scoring with 14 points (7 G, 7 A) in 62 games, posting a -26 rating and averaging 12:08 per night. The 6’2″, 188-lb winger was responsible with the puck, though, logging 23 takeaways compared to just seven giveaways.

But after making just one appearance for Columbus the following year, Foudy landed on the waiver wire. He was given a fresh start in Nashville, where he managed three assists and a -2 rating in 12 games before landing on waivers again in December. He cleared and was assigned to AHL Milwaukee, where he played out the rest of the campaign. Foudy ended the year with 16 points (10 G, 6 A) and a +7 rating in 28 games in the minors.

Foudy was a late cut from New York’s training camp roster this time around and looked to be high on the list of potential in-season call-ups after once again clearing waivers. After starting the year with four assists in five games for AHL Bridgeport, he’ll look to prove he can carve out a niche for himself at the game’s highest level. He’s one of 12 healthy forwards available with Duclair on the shelf and, as such, should make his Islanders debut tonight against the Red Wings.

Islanders Place Julien Gauthier On Waivers

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Julien Gauthier’s short stint with the New York Islanders is now on hold. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the organization has chosen to place Gauthier on waivers for the next 24 hours, putting them at 12 healthy forwards without factoring in the late injury to Anthony Duclair last night.

To the surprise of some, Gauthier made the Islanders’ opening night roster out of camp instead of the relatively pricey Pierre Engvall. He hasn’t factored into much of the team’s success up to this point with his only game on the year coming last night against the Montreal Canadiens. He skated in 7:42 of yesterday’s game and managed two hits despite his name not finding the scoresheet.

Gauthier, who signed as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023, is in his second year with the organization. His lack of NHL play during his time with the Islanders should make for a pass through the waiver wire by tomorrow afternoon.

He’s managed quality production in the American Hockey League, when healthy, throughout his career so there is an argument that a team could claim him to stash in the minors if they’re certain they’ll make the only claim. Gauthier’s appeared in 205 AHL contests since making his professional debut in the 2017-18 season scoring 78 goals and 115 points overall.

Julien Gauthier Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Gauthier has cleared waivers, Friedman reports; he has been assigned to Bridgeport.

Friday: The Islanders have placed winger Julien Gauthier on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Bridgeport, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said Friday.

Gauthier, 26, is without a point in his last six games. He was a healthy scratch in the Islanders’ last game before the All-Star break, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Panthers on Saturday.

The 2016 first-round pick signed a two-year, $1.575MM deal with the Islanders last July after reaching unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. After ending last season in a Senators jersey as a result of a February 2023 trade from the Rangers, Gauthier did not receive a qualifying offer after scoring three goals and adding two assists in 17 games with Ottawa.

A bottom-six power winger with good size at 6-foot-4 and over 220 pounds, Gauthier made the Islanders’ roster out of camp after failing to do so with the Rangers last season. He’s been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions this season, including three times since the beginning of January.

In 27 games on the season, he’s posted five goals and nine points while averaging 10:10 per game. His possession metrics have been the worst on the team in his limited role, posting a 36% Corsi share at even strength. Given he’s under contract until 2025 and is not on an expiring deal, and his $800K salary next season is higher than his $787.5K cap hit, the likelihood of a waiver claim appears low.

New York Islanders Activate Matt Martin Off IR, Share Other Injury Updates

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The New York Islanders have activated Matt Martin from injured reserve. The forward hsan’t played since November 15th, battling an upper-body injury. He was formerly activated on November 28th but faced setbacks that required him to be placed back on IR. Martin appeared in 14 games before being moved to IR, scoring two points and recording seven penalty minutes. The 34-year-old is in his 15th NHL season, with all but two years coming with the New York Islanders. Martin ranks eighth all-time in games played for the Islanders franchise, joining a top 10 that also features long-time teammates Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson, and Casey Cizikas.

The Islanders also shared that Julien Gauthier is set to miss the team’s Wednesday night matchup against the Washington Capitals with an upper-body injury. Oliver Wahlstrom is expected to fill in for Gauthier, after serving as a healthy scratch for the team’s last seven games. Wahlstrom has scored five points in the 17 appearances he’s made this season. Gauthier has also spent time as a healthy scratch this season, only appearing in 14 of the team’s 31 games. He’s tied Wahlstrom’s five points in his outings.

Finally, New York head coach Lane Lambert shared that none of Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, or Adam Pelech traveled with the team on their two-game road trip that takes them up to the league’s holiday break. All three defenseman are currently on injured reserve, with Pelech placed on long-term IR on November 25th. All three of the injured defenders have averaged 19-or-more minutes of ice time in the games they have appeared in, speaking to the impact that their absences makes on the Islanders lineup.

Matt Martin Out Day-To-Day, Gauthier Sick

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The New York Islanders have announced that forward Matt Martin is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury and won’t play tonight against the Seattle Kraken. Martin played just 7:11 last night in the Islanders overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks which is below the 8:27 he has averaged this season.

Martin has a goal and an assist in 14 games to start the season and has seen his usage dip considerably which is unusual given that he is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He has been less physical than he typically has been in the past averaging just over two hits a game which is a steep drop from the almost four hits he averaged a game last year.

No word on what specifically is keeping Martin from the lineup or if he will be able to dress for the Islanders on Saturday when they take on the Calgary Flames.

The Islanders also announced that forward Julien Gauthier is out with an illness and will miss tonight’s game in Seattle. Gauthier has been a healthy scratch more often than not this season so its hard to say whether or not he will dress when he recovers and is good to play again. The 26-year-old has no points in two games this season and the team has struggled immensely when he has been deployed for New York.

The Islanders are 5-6-4 to start the season and have already dealt with a ton of injuries just a month and a half into the regular season. They were relatively healthy going into last night’s game and can ill afford to lose any regular starters at this point.

New York Islanders Sign Three Players

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The New York Islanders made a trio of depth forward additions today, signing Julien Gauthier, Karson Kuhlman, and Brian Pinho in free agency. Per the team, Gauthier received a two-year deal, while Kuhlman and Pinho received one-year, two-way contracts.

CapFriendly confirms Gauthier’s contract carries an average annual value of $787.5K, paid out as $775K in 2023-24 and $800K in 2024-25. Ethan Sears of the New York Post adds Kuhlman and Pinho’s deals both carry cap hits of $775K, with Kuhlman’s deal earning him $300K in the minors and a $350K guaranteed salary.

Gauthier is an interesting addition, especially on a one-way deal. The former first-round pick hasn’t lived up to expectations and is now on his fourth NHL organization, although he did score a career-high nine goals and 14 points in 57 games last season, split between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators.

The 25-year-old does have good size at 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds, but it’ll be tough to land an everyday spot in the Islanders’ lineup. He’ll most likely compete for a third-line role with Hudson Fasching, a career AHLer who broke out for 10 goals and 19 points in 49 games with the Islanders and earned the trust of the team’s coaching staff. With the team unlikely to break up their longstanding fourth line of Cal Clutterbuck, Casey Cizikas, and Matt Martin until one of them retires, bottom-six roles will be scarce.

Kuhlman joins the Islanders after spending the last two seasons entirely in the NHL and being claimed on waivers twice, once by the Seattle Kraken in 2021-22 and the Winnipeg Jets in 2022-23. In his five-season, 147-game NHL career, the 27-year-old American has 12 goals and 30 points. The two-way deal suggests he could be heading back to the minors for his first extended stint there since 2018-19, where he put up 12 goals and 30 points in 58 games with the Providence Bruins.

Pinho comes over as a veteran AHLer, amassing 225 games in the minors over five seasons spent with the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils organizations. With only two NHL regular-season games to his name, both coming in the 2020-21 season, Pinho is likely destined for a middle-six role with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

Atlantic Notes: Hoffman, Power, Gauthier

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The Canadiens appear to be open to moving winger Mike Hoffman for no return, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.  The 33-year-old signed with Montreal two years ago in the hopes of adding some offense and pop to their power play.  However, his goal-per-game outputs the last two years were the lowest of his career while their success rate with the man advantage remains near the bottom of the league.  Hoffman has one year left on his contract with a $4.5MM AAV and it seems that the Canadiens are simply hoping that someone will take a flyer on someone whose longer-term track record as a sniper has been strong.  However, with so many other teams either wanting or needing to make a move like that, they may not be able to make a move like that.  Seravalli adds that Montreal isn’t willing to buy him out.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News examined some possible comparable contracts for defenseman Owen Power who is eligible to sign an extension in July. If the two sides want to work out a max-term contract, the deals for Florida blueliner Aaron Ekblad or Dallas rearguard Miro Heiskanen could be the range.  Ekblad checks in at $7.5MM while Heiskanen’s deal, signed just last summer, is $8.45MM.  Meanwhile, if the two sides want to do a bridge contract, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams doesn’t have to look very far as teammate Rasmus Dahlin’s current deal (three years, $6MM AAV) should stand as a rough barometer for what a short-term deal for Power would cost.  Dahlin is also extension-eligible this summer and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Adams take a run at getting them both locked up early.
  • Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that the Senators are undecided about qualifying winger Julien Gauthier later this month. The 25-year-old was acquired late in the season as part of the Tyler Motte trade and held his own down the stretch, notching five points in 17 games.  Owed a tender of just $840K, the hesitance would seem to revolve around his arbitration eligibility.  While his career numbers wouldn’t land him a significant raise by any stretch, it could push his price tag higher than Ottawa is comfortable paying.

New York Rangers Acquire Tyler Motte

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Tyler Motte is back on Broadway. The New York Rangers have acquired the veteran forward from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Julien Gauthier and a conditional 2023 seventh-round pick, per a team announcement.

The Senators have announced the conditions on the deal: if the Rangers win a playoff series in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, the pick will improve to be the lower of the Rangers’ two 2023 sixth-round picks. (The Rangers also own the Winnipeg Jets’ sixth-rounder from last year’s Andrew Copp trade)

Senators GM Pierre Dorion gave the following statement regarding Gauthier, the centerpiece asset his team is receiving in this deal:

Julien Gauthier is a hard-working, good skating winger with a big body who routinely goes to the opponent’s net. His north/south game should be a nice addition to our lineup.

Dorion’s strategy with this trade mirrors how he approached the trade of Nick Paul last season. Rather than simply aim for the best draft pick possible, Dorion instead identified a player on the buying team’s roster that he believes can contribute to the Senators immediately.

Last season, the team acquired pending restricted free agent Mathieu Joseph. This year, it’s Gauthier, who is also a pending restricted free agent.

Both Motte and Gauthier have scored nine points this season, but for the Rangers this trade is about more than just scoring. After the acquisition of Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues, the Rangers’ need for a scoring-line right winger was met. Their biggest need heading into the deadline became an upgrade to their fourth line, as they were relying on relatively unproven commodities such as Gauthier and Jake Leschyshyn.

Now, they’ve added a player who not only brings a different flavor to their fourth line than what Gauthier could provide, but also brings a more well-rounded game and valuable playoff experience. Gauthier has just three playoff games on his resume, while the 27-year-old Motte helped the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final last season and got into 17 playoff games for the Vancouver Canucks in 2019-20.

Motte is the Senators’ leading penalty-killing forward and should be able to help a Rangers penalty kill that at the moment ranks just 15th in the league. He’s tenacious, always energetic, and a forward Rangers fans came to greatly appreciate despite his limited time on their roster. Both the New York market and head coach Gerard Gallant will surely be pleased that Motte is back in the fold.

For Ottawa, this trade is all about Gauthier. Motte got the Canucks a fourth-rounder in a trade last season, and while he’s not quite having as good of a season as he had last year, it’s hard to say that his decline alone causes his value to drop from a fourth-rounder all the way to a sixth or seventh-rounder.

Instead, this seems to be a case of Ottawa simply seeing something they like in Gauthier and preferring to add him to their roster over a slightly improved draft pick. The 25-year-old winger is, as Dorion noted, a player with size and strong skating ability. He’s routinely attacking the net when he gets offensive chances, but his ability as a finisher leaves much to be desired.

While he showed flashes in New York of the talent that made him a 2016 first-round pick, he ultimately was not able to find the night-to-night consistency to earn the trust of David Quinn or Gallant. Now, Senators head coach D.J. Smith will get a chance to see if anything can be made out of Gauthier’s impressive physical tools.

Pictures courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Graves, Stanley, Gauthier

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The Devils have yet to begin discussions regarding defenseman Ryan Graves, his agent Allain Roy confirmed to James Nichols of The Fourth Period.  The 27-year-old is in the final season of a three-year, $9.5MM contract and has 16 points in 42 games for New Jersey so far this year despite seeing his playing time dip by nearly two minutes a night compared to 2021-22.  He’s well-positioned to earn at least a small raise that could push him toward the $5MM mark on his next deal.  At the moment, the Devils only have four regular blueliners signed for next season with Damon Severson joining Graves among the UFA-eligible defenders this summer.  They already have nearly $19MM in commitments to the four they have so they might not want to keep both Graves and Severson in the fold for next season knowing those two could push the combined cost on their back end past the $30MM mark.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Jets defenseman Logan Stanley wasn’t in the lineup tonight against Philadelphia but associate coach Scott Arniel told Jeff Hamilton of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link) that the blueliner could be ready to return on Tuesday. Stanley has been out of the lineup for a little more than six weeks with a lower-body injury.  The 24-year-old has been limited to just seven games this season which is a hardly ideal platform year for someone eligible for salary arbitration for the first time this summer.
  • The Rangers are optimistic that winger Julien Gauthier will be able to return Monday against Florida, notes Ethan Sears of the New York Post. The 25-year-old has missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury and is currently on injured reserve although a roster spot was created when Jonny Brodzinski was sent down after clearing waivers earlier today.  Gauthier started the season with AHL Hartford but has six goals in 32 games with New York since being recalled despite averaging just 8:29 per night.

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