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Stephen Gionta

Waivers & Recalls: 10/02/17

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The waiver wire is very busy today as teams pare down their rosters. The season begins this week, and teams will try to sneak through some veterans and prospects to keep them in the organization. Here is the entire list of waivers for today:

Malcolm Subban (BOS)
Phillip Di Giuseppe (CAR)
John Ramage (CBJ)
Luke Gazdic (CGY)
Garnet Hathaway (CGY)
Jean-Francois Berube (CHI)
Tomas Jurco (CHI)
Jordin Tootoo (CHI)
Gabriel Bourque (COL)
Curtis McKenzie (DAL)
Patrik Nemeth (DAL)
David Booth (DET)
Ryan Sproul (DET)
Ryan Murphy (MIN)
Byron Froese (MTL)
Andreas Martinsen (MTL)
Brian Gibbons (NJD)
Brian Strait (NJD)
Steve Bernier (NYI)
Stephen Gionta (NYI)
Matt Read (PHI)
Brandon Bollig (SJ)
Troy Grosenick (SJ)
Brandon Mashinter (SJ)
Jordan Binnington (STL)
Cory Conacher (TB)
Colin Greening (TOR)
Vincent LoVerde (TOR)
Chris Mueller (TOR)
Kerby Rychel (TOR)
Ben Smith (TOR)
Garret Sparks (TOR)
Andrey Pedan (VAN)
Teemu Pulkkinen (VGK)
Anthony Peluso (WSH)
J.C. Lipon (WPG)

New York Islanders Sign Stephen Gionta

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While brother Brian waits to see where he’ll be spending the 2017-18 season, Stephen Gionta has signed a one-year two-way contract with the New York Islanders that will pay him the minimum of $650K at the NHL level. Gionta was an unrestricted free agent, but will return to the Islanders for at least one more year.

Playing in 26 NHL games last year, Gionta registered six points and was his usual physical self on every shift. The small but fiery forward has made a career on his work ethic, even playing in all 82 contests for the 2015-16 New Jersey Devils. A former captain in the AHL, he brings leadership and depth to the Islanders and Bridgeport Sound Tigers where much of his season could be spent once again.

The Islanders currently project full up front to start the year, especially if Joshua Ho-Sang indeed takes a full-time role this season. They also have Michael Dal Colle and Mathew Barzal waiting for their chances in the NHL, though none of the three play the same style as Gionta. Instead, he’ll be used as a fourth-line depth player that you could keep in the press box for games at a time, something you wouldn’t want to do to a younger player who is still developing. Despite being waiver-eligible, it’s unlikely that anyone would put in a claim on Gionta at this point in his career.

His flexibility also extends to where he plays on the ice, as Gionta has spent time at all three forward positions. He’s generally been very weak on faceoffs, but has the defensive responsibility to anchor a fourth line if pressed into duty. Whether he sees much time with the Islanders is still to be seen, but the signing brings absolutely no risk.

Islanders Sign Stephen Gionta

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The New York Islanders announced today that they have signed veteran forward Stephen Gionta to a one-year, two-way contract. Gionta had been playing on an AHL contract with the Islanders’ affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, but will now have a shot at getting back to regular NHL minutes. New York has recalled Gionta following the finalization of his new deal.

Gionta’s relationship with the Islanders began way back in August, when the small, shifty center agreed to a professional tryout with the team. While playing a preseason game in September, Gionta broke his foot and was released from his PTO with an injury settlement. Following his recovery, Gionta inked a minor-league deal with the Tigers to get back in to playing condition. In seven games in Bridgeport, Gionta had just one goal and two assists, but did enough to show the Islanders brass watching that he was back to health and ready to contribute at the highest level.

The younger sibling of Brian Gionta, Stephen followed in his brother’s footsteps and played college hockey at Boston College. While Brian, a third-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 1998, was busy leading the Devils throughout the mid-2000’s, Stephen signed with the club out of college and began working his way toward the NHL. After Brian left to sign with Montreal Canadiens in 2009, Stephen was able to fill one of the holes up front left, in part, by his departure in 2010-11. However, Gionta didn’t fully take over as a starter in New Jersey until 2013-14. Gionta scored 50 points in 270 games over parts of six seasons with the Devils, but will be remembered by fans for his dominance at the AHL level more, where he was the Lowell Devils all-time leader in games played and then the inaugural captain of the re-located Albany Devils. Capable of mentoring young players at the AHL level while also contributing in all aspects of the game at the NHL level, Gionta is a savvy signing by the Islanders.

Free Agent Notes: Russell, Seidenberg, Trouba, Gionta

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Eight teams remain in the hunt for unrestricted free agent defenseman Kris Russell, reports TSN’s Frank Seravalli. Russell’s agent, Allain Roy, noted that a deal is likely to be reached by the conclusion of the World Cup (which runs as late as October 1st).  However, by that point of the preseason, most teams will have played more than half of their exhibition schedule so there may be a push by teams to get an answer before too long.

Among the teams reportedly interested is Russell’s former employer, the Calgary Flames.  He played in 51 games with Calgary last season before being dealt to Dallas in a trade deadline deal.  Seravalli noted that for them to be able to bring him back, they would need to find a taker for fellow blueliner Dennis Wideman.  He has one year left on his contract with a $5.25MM cap hit and a full no-move clause so finding a trade for him may be easier said than done.  Seravalli also believes that some teams may be waiting to see what happens with Anaheim and if they move a defenseman once a deal with RFA Hampus Lindholm gets done.

More free agent notes:

  • Also from Seravalli, a few teams are taking a close look at defenseman Dennis Seidenberg during the World Cup of Hockey (he’s playing for Team Europe). The 35 year old was bought out by Boston earlier this offseason.  However, at this time, Seidenberg doesn’t appear to be interested in going to training camp on a PTO like many other veterans without a deal will be doing.
  • There is little to update in the Jacob Trouba negotiations, writes Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun, who equates the current state of talks to a staring contest with each side waiting for the other to blink. It’s believed that Trouba is seeking a long-term, big money deal while by-passing the bridge contract but with three other blueliners making $5.5MM or more for at least the next two seasons, the Jets may not want to put Trouba into that pay range just yet.  Earlier this offseason, we took a closer look at Trouba’s situation and some of the questions that will be a factor in their discussions.
  • The Islanders announced that they have officially inked with UFA forward Stephen Gionta. The 32 year old 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.  You can keep track of which players have already inked tryout deals with our Invite Tracker.

Islanders Notes: Strome, Gionta, Ladd

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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.

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