Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Ryan Strome

Prospect Snapshots: DeBrincat, Second Round, Sergachev

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Since Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat was cut from the United States World Junior team in late December, he’s determined to prove that it was a mistake. When he was dropped, he was the OHLs leading goal-scorer and trailed only teammate Taylor Raddysh (who played for Canada at the tournament) in points. He hasn’t slowed down at all, scoring four more points today for the Erie Otters and extending his lead in the scoring race. He now has 92 points in 45 games and is a clear leader in goals scored.

The Blackhawks signed DeBrincat to a three-year entry-level contract earlier this season, and it looks like he’ll be making an impact in professional hockey as soon as he makes the leap. His 39th-overall selection looks like a steal now, as he’s about to post his third straight 100+ point season in the OHL and possibly help his team to a Memorial Cup.

  • Over at Fan Rag Sports, Hannah Stuart took a look at five potential second-round steals in the upcoming draft. It even includes one Erie Otter rookie who will be getting a ton of extra ice time next season when DeBrincat, Raddysh and Ryan Strome all leave for greener pastures. Ivan Lodnia, the Otters’ young sniper has 21 goals and 45 points in his OHL debut. She also mentions Boston University’s Jake Oettinger, who sat in the press box at the World Juniors behind Tyler Parsons and Joseph Woll on Team USA. Despite being ranked 3rd on Central Scouting’s goaltender list, Stuart believes big things are ahead for the NCAA standout.
  • The Montreal Canadiens are in the thick of trade talks all around the league, and Darren Dreger of TSN says that GM Marc Bergevin is “all in” on upgrading this season. That has sparked some talk about the possibility of dealing last summer’s first-round pick Mikhail Sergachev, but The Fourth Period has shut that down. The report says that while Sergachev is basically untouchable, Noah Juulsen may be in play when it comes to big upgrades down the middle for the NHL club. Juulsen is the captain of the Everett Silvertips in the WHL and was Montreal’s first-round selection in 2015.

Injury Notes: Green, Cizikas, Huberdeau

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After taking a late hit from the Anaheim Ducks’ Ryan Kesler as the game was ending last night, Red Wings’ defenseman Mike Green is “probably day to day” according to GM Ken Holland (via Brendan Savage of MLive). While the team is taking the day off, they’ll know more about his condition on Monday. The Red Wings won the game on the back of Tomas Tatar’s first career hat trick, and Green logged his normal heavy workload. The veteran defender has 18 points in 32 games this season and is on pace for another solid year. With 413 points in 681 games, Green has been one of the most consistent offensive producers from the back end over the last decade, though he hasn’t suited up for 80+ games since 2007-08. Injuries seem to find him, and we’ll keep an eye on his status heading into Monday’s matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes.

  • The Islanders announced today that Casey Cizikas will be out for a while, as he’s unable to even skate yet. The 25-year old center missed the Islanders’ last game with an upper-body injury, and it’s unclear if he’ll be back before the Christmas break. Cizikas has taken on a larger role with the team this season due to their lack of depth down the middle, playing over 14 minutes a night. With 13 points in 29 games, he was well on his way to a career year before the injury – his previous being 29 last season.  In his absence, Brock Nelson moved back to center and Anders Lee moved up to the top line. Cal Clutterbuck, a longtime winger of Cizikas, was skating alongside Ryan Strome.
  • Down in Florida, the return of Jonathan Huberdeau is inching closer and closer. Harvey Filakov of the Sun Sentinel tweeted out some photos of the young forward skating by himself today as the Panthers took the day off from the ice. Huberdeau has missed the entire season so far with a leg injury, after putting up a career high 20 goals and 59 points last season. As Florida struggles to a 14-13-5 record, they’ll welcome Huberdeau back with open arms and expect the former 3rd overall pick to help them push for a playoff spot down the stretch. The team could really use him, as they currently rank 23rd in goals for.

Islanders’ Notes: Halak, Lineups, Injuries

at CDT | by 1 Comment

As the New York Islanders try to right the ship and get their season back on track, they welcome the defending Stanley Cup Champions tonight. The struggling Islanders sit dead last in the Eastern Conference and have been unable to find an answer to their offensive woes.

Tonight, the team will start Jaroslav Halak for his seventh straight game after starting the year with a three-goalie rotation. Halak has done his best with what’s in front of him this year, as even with a .904 save percentage he’s still carrying a 3.09 GAA. Surely he’d like to improve both numbers, but it’ll be tough against Sidney Crosby and Co.

  • The team will look to shake things up tonight, as Shane Prince will get back into the lineup, putting them back to 12 forwards (they’d been playing with 7 defensemen recently). Scott Mayfield will return to the press box after playing just under seven minutes in their last game. Anthony Beauvillier will move back to the middle, while Ryan Strome moves up to the first line on John Tavares’ wing. The team will also reunite the fourth line of Casey Cizikas, Nikolay Kulemin and Cal Clutterbuck, after a failed attempt of Clutterbuck on the top line.
  • Dennis Seidenberg, one of the Islanders’ effective blueliners is skating with the team, but can still barely eat through his broken jaw. He’s still a while off from getting back into game action according to head coach Jack Capuano, who doesn’t expect it “to be any time soon”. The other injured Islander, Ryan Pulock, is getting closer, but isn’t expected to play on the upcoming west coast road trip, when the Islanders will face the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings in four nights.

Islanders Sign Ryan Strome To A Two Year Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New York Islanders announced that they have re-signed restricted free agent center Ryan Strome to a two year deal. Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports that the contract is worth a total of $5MM.  Cap Friendly adds that Strome will earn $2MM in 2016-17 and $3MM in 2017-18, meaning his qualifying offer in the 2018 offseason will be $3MM.

Strome, the fifth overall pick of the Isles in 2011, is coming off a down year where he recorded just 28 points (8-20-28) in 71 games, down considerably from a 50 point campaign in 2014-15. As a result, it’s not surprising to see the bridge deal get done to see how he fares over the next couple of years before the team decides whether or not to commit to him on a long-term deal.

Mar 25, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Islanders center Ryan Strome (18) during the third period at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Islanders 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsDespite his struggles last season, Strome is still expected to be a top six forward and could push offseason acquisition P.A. Parenteau for time on their top line, a vacancy that was created by the departure of Kyle Okposo to Buffalo at the beginning of free agency.

[Related: Islanders Depth Chart]

The team imposed deadline to have all players signed by training camp has come into play in the past as former NHL winger Sean Bergenheim didn’t sign by the start of camp back in 2006 and wound up spending that season in the RSL and SEL instead.

With the contract, the Isles now have their full roster under contract including 14 forwards on one way deals.  They have a little more than $1.1MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly although their projected roster has 25 players, two more than the maximum.  At any rate, they’ve left themselves some wiggle room heading into the season.

With this deal done and the signing of Valeri Nichushkin in the KHL now official, there are just 12 remaining restricted free agents.  Among those, Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau is the most prominent player without a deal for the upcoming season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Nichushkin, Strome, Sabres

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

News and notes around the NHL this evening:

  • Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill said that losing Valeri Nichushkin to the KHL is “not the end of the world.” The unsigned RFA is rumored to be close to signing a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow instead of remaining with the Dallas Stars. Nill reasons that Nichushkin is still young and will continue to develop in the KHL—and return to the organization a better player. Nishushkin scored 9G and 20A in 79 games for the Stars, and was considered a promising prospect on the backend.
  • Unsigned RFA Ryan Strome approaches the New York Islanders self-imposed deadline to sign a contract before the season starts. As Larry Brooks reports, the Isles have maintained the previous ownership’s policy of not negotiating during training camp. The Canadian forward scored 8G and 20A in 71 games for the Isles last season, and an additional 1G and 3A in 8 playoff games. The Isles have just over $3.6MM in cap space—more than enough to sign a player of Strome’s calibre to a short-term bridge deal.
  • The Buffalo Sabres officially announced that they have changed their arena name from the First Niagara Center to the KeyBank Center. KeyBank’s parent company KeyCorp recently bought First Niagara, and with it came the arena’s naming rights. Both are mid-size banks with a concentrated upstate New York presence. The name change will take effect this season. The name change is also the team’s fourth in twenty years, after being called the Marine Midland Arena, HSBC Arena, and most recently the First Niagara Center.

Islanders Notes: Strome, Gionta, Ladd

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports that the Islanders and restricted free agent center/right winger Ryan Strome remain in discussions on a new deal and there isn’t any concern that a deal won’t get done in advance of the opening of training camp on the 22nd (Twitter links).  The start date for camp is notable as the team still has a rule in place that any player unsigned as of the beginning of camp will not play for the entire season.

Strome is coming off a down year where he recorded just 28 points (8-20-28) in 71 games, down considerably from a 50 point campaign in 2014-15.  As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team pursue a short-term contract to see how he fares this season before deciding whether or not to commit to him on a long-term deal.

Despite his struggles last season, Strome is still expected to be a top six forward and could push offseason acquisition P.A. Parenteau for time on their top line, a vacancy that was created by the departure of Kyle Okposo to Buffalo at the beginning of free agency.

[Related: Islanders Depth Chart]

In other Islanders news:

  • In a separate tweet from Staple, the New York Islanders are in discussions with Stephen Gionta regarding a training camp tryout. Gionta has spent parts of the last six seasons with New Jersey and played in all 82 games last year for the first time in his career, collecting 11 points (1-10-11).  He would potentially battle for a depth forward role with the team or possibly even as a veteran for their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.  Gionta has 50 points in 270 career NHL games, all with the Devils.
  • Assistant coach Doug Weight played a big role in convincing Andrew Ladd to join the team, writes Cory Wright from the team’s official site. Speaking with Wright, Ladd noted that, “Knowing Dougie from Carolina that relationship with him and knowing what a genuine good guy he is, it was nice to have him here showing me around. He made me comfortable and made my wife comfortable. I trust his opinion on where things are going here.”  Ladd had as many as 10 suitors in free agency and is coming off a 25 goal season for the first time since 2011-12.  He signed a seven year, $38.5MM deal back on July 1st and should play alongside John Tavares on New York’s top line.

Free Agent Updates: Strome, Orlov, Gryba, Horcoff, Bartkowski

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With training camps just a few weeks away now, several free agents are still jockeying to find a new home or in the case of some restricted free agents, are looking to get new deals with their current teams done.  Here is the latest on several players still looking for new contracts:

Restricted Free Agents

  • Islanders GM Garth Snow and representatives for Ryan Strome continue to talk about a new deal. Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports that they are likely talking about a two year bridge contract.  Strome is coming off a down season as he recorded just 28 points (8-20-28) in 71 games, considerably lower than the 50 points (17-33-50) he put up in 81 games in 2014-15.
  • Washington defenseman Dmitry Orlov has spoken with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, reports Igor Eronko of Sport-Express. However, he indicated that he is concentrating on securing an NHL deal.  Orlov had a career year with the Caps last season, notching 29 points (8-21-29) in 82 games.  He will suit up for Russia in next month’s World Cup of Hockey, even if a new deal hasn’t been reached by then.

Unrestricted Free Agents

  • Defenseman Eric Gryba, who spent last season with Edmonton, has received training camp offers from three different teams so far, notes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Gryba’s first choice is to remain with the Oilers but they have yet to offer him a contract.  He suited up in 53 games with Edmonton last year, picking up six points (1-5-6) while seeing greater than a two minute jump in his ice time per game compared to the year before (from 15:39 to 17:53).
  • More from Matheson, center Shawn Horcoff has no interest in taking a tryout contract and is closer to retirement than continuing his playing career (Twitter links). Horcoff played in 59 games with the Ducks last year, tallying 15 points (6-9-15) but most notably was suspended for 20 games back in January after testing positive for a performance enhancing substance.
  • Blueliner Matt Bartkowski is still holding out hope for a one-way contract, reports Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bartkowski told Warner that his agent has been in touch with “a ton” of teams but evidently nothing has materialized in terms of an offer just yet.  He played in a career high 80 games with Vancouver in 2015-16, collecting 18 points (6-12-18).

Snapshots: Islanders, Benning

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Despite their starting goalie’s concerns on the situation, the New York Islanders look to be once again carrying three goaltenders to start this season. Last July, the Islanders signed Thomas Greiss to a two-year contact to back-up Jaroslav Halak. They followed that up by claiming promising young netminder J-F Berube off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings in early October. Because a player claimed on waivers must stay in the NHL or be put through waivers again, the Islanders kept him up. Berube played just seven games in 2015-16. Halak was hurt for extended time and only played 36 games. Backup-in-name-only Greiss made 41 appearances and lead the team through the playoffs, including their first round series win against Florida.

This summer, the Islanders extended Berube for another season. In an interview with NHL.com’s Brian Compton, head coach Jack Capuano said “whether you have eight defensemen or three goalies or 15 forwards … they’re all good players back there, all three of them can help us. We’ll see how it pans out… they’re all quality goaltenders.”

Related: Islanders’ depth chart

Here are some other snapshots from around the NHL:

  • Staying with the Islanders, Compton lists finding Frans Nielsen’s replacement as one of big questions surrounding the team in training camp. There’s a handful of in-house options, including Ryan Strome. The fifth overall pick in 2011 had a successful rookie campaign in 2014-15, posting 50 points, before taking a major step backward last season with 28 points and an eight game stint in the AHL. Capuano said Strome will get a shot in the middle and that he’ll be looking “for big things from Ryan”. Strome is currently a restricted free agent.
  • Despite the biggest name college free agents being signed already, there remains at least one more player who’s attracting some attention from around the NHL, according to Bob Stauffer from the Oilers Radio Network. Matthew Benning was the Bruins’ sixth round pick in 2012. He was playing in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) at the time, then went on to play one year in the USHL and then three seasons with Northeastern University. The 22-year-old right-handed defenseman posted 56 points in 110 games with Northeaster. Stauffer believes the Oilers, Kings, and Canucks all make sense as destinations for Benning: all three teams are looking to add right-handed defensemen, he’s an Edmonton-native who was drafted by current Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli, and his uncle is Canucks’ GM Jim Benning.

Free Agent Focus: New York Islanders

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New York Islanders got back to the postseason in 2015-16, making it two straight years they’ve gotten there. The John Capuano coached team went 45-27-10 in the regular season, and advanced past the Florida Panthers before getting knocked out by the Tampa Bay Lightning. As superstar John Tavares continues to crawl toward his eventual free agency – he has two remaining seasons at $5.5MM – the team has quite a few big names to worry about this offseason.  Here’s a look at their upcoming free agents:

Key Restricted Free Agent: C Ryan Strome – The elder Strome brother and former 5th overall pick, Ryan had a somewhat disappointing season for the Isles this year. After putting up 17 goals and 50 points in his sophomore year in 2014-15, Strome only collected 28 this season while seeing less powerplay time and experiencing a drop-off in possession metrics.

Strome will turn 23 in less than a month, and is coming off his entry-level contract; he’ll be looking for a bridge deal like the one Nazem Kadri signed in 2013.  While Kadri was coming off a stronger season, he didn’t have as much history in the league as Strome does now. That deal lasted two years at $2.9MM, and while Strome might not hit that mark he’s expected to get over $2MM.

Other RFAs: Alan Quine, Shane Prince, Scott Mayfield, Christopher Gibson, Jean-Francois Berube

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: RW Kyle Okposo – After putting up a huge season, Okposo is in line for a big pay raise. The former seventh overall pick put up 64 points in 79 games, continuing what has been very strong play since 2013-14. He’s racked up 184 points during that time, ranking him 17th overall in PPG over that span among players with at least 50 GP. Coming in ahead of players like Corey Perry, Phil Kessel and Jonathan Toews, Okposo is going to get a huge contract this offseason.

As reported earlier today, it looks like the Islanders are set to move on from the winger, with GM Garth Snow wishing him luck in the future. For the team, they’ll be losing their second highest scorer and a player who has been a big part of the turnaround in New York. With the third highest, center Frans Nielsen, also being a UFA this summer the Isles are at risk of losing a substantial part of their offense on July 1st.

Other UFA: Nielsen, Eric Boulton, Matt Martin, Steve Bernier, Brian Strait, Marek Zidlicky

Projected Cap Space: $13MM, 18 players under contract.

While the Islanders seem to have their defense corps set up for next year, their forward group will have to rely on some young talent stepping up if they don’t make any big free agent splashes. 24-year old Brock Nelson put up an impressive 26 goals and will be expected to take on an even bigger role with the departures of Okposo and Nielsen.

The goaltending tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss performed admirably this season, but the team may look to move one of them at some point, with Greiss entering his final contract year and Halak only with two remaining.  As they both enter their thirties, the team may look to move on as they have a number of solid prospects in the system.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top