Islanders Notes: Palmieri, Barzal, Romanov, DeAngelo
With their season now over, Islanders players met the media for the last time before heading off for their respective offseasons. Among those was winger Kyle Palmieri, whose season ended back in November when he tore his ACL (but stayed on the ice to set up a goal before exiting the game). He noted to media in attendance, including team reporter Cory Wright, that he should be able to have a pretty normal summer in terms of offseason preparation since the injury is healing well. Palmieri had a pretty productive year in limited action, picking up six goals and 12 assists in 25 games. He’ll enter the final year of his contract next season with a $4.75MM cap charge.
More from clean-out day for the Isles:
- In his interview (video link), Mathew Barzal indicated that he was still working through things related to the injury he sustained last February that ended his year prematurely. That said, he noted that it shouldn’t be cause for concern but rather that it’s an injury that often takes a year or two to fully recover from. Despite playing through that, Barzal still led the team in scoring with 19 goals and 53 assists in 81 games. He added that head coach Peter DeBoer told him the plan moving forward is to move him back to center full-time; he has spent big chunks of the last three seasons on the wing.
- It turns out that defenseman Alexander Romanov was indeed close to returning. As noted by team reporter Luca Dallasta, the blueliner indicated that he probably would have been able to suit up to start the playoffs had New York made it there. The 26-year-old was limited to just 15 games this season due to a shoulder injury sustained in mid-November that ultimately required surgery. He had one assist along with 31 hits and 31 blocks and should return to being part of their top four on the back end next season.
- Defenseman Tony DeAngelo is slated to reach unrestricted free agency this summer but made it clear in his interview (video link) that he’s hoping to remain for a third season with the team. This was his first full campaign with the Islanders and it was a productive one. He led their defense in scoring with 35 points in 76 games while averaging more than 19 minutes per night of playing time, a solid return on a $1.75MM price tag. AFP Analytics projects a modest raise to $2.132MM but it wouldn’t be surprising to see DeAngelo try to land a multi-year commitment.
Islanders Notes: DeAngelo, Nurmi, Salo
New York Islanders veteran defenseman Tony DeAngelo will return to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, new head coach Peter DeBoer told the media today. DeAngelo has been out since March 24 with a lower-body injury, and has missed the team’s last six games. A lot has changed for New York since DeAngelo last played. At that time, the Islanders were tied with the Ottawa Senators, who occupied the second wild-card playoff spot, in points, and were just one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and two points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for third and second place in the Metropolitan Division, respectively. Just over two weeks later, the Islanders are not only three points adrift of a playoff spot, but they also have a new face behind the bench in DeBoer.
Getting DeAngelo back from injury will give DeBoer an additional option to work with as he constructs the team’s defense for his first game in charge. Per The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner, DeAngelo will slot in on DeBoer’s second pairing, alongside veteran shutdown defenseman Adam Pelech. The 30-year-old has had an up-and-down career in the NHL, oscillating between entrenching himself in lineups thanks to his offensive production, and losing his footing due to defensive deficiencies coaches couldn’t overlook. After spending the early portion of last season in the KHL, DeAngelo returned to the NHL to sign with the Islanders, and seems to have found a steady role on Long Island. While the emergence of star rookie Matthew Schaefer has cut into his time on the team’s power play (he’s down from 2:58 per game in 2024-25 to 1:34 this season) DeAngelo has still managed to produce 33 points in 72 games. The final four games on New York’s schedule not only have high stakes for the team, but also high personal stakes for DeAngelo. As a pending UFA, his performance down the stretch could leave a lasting impression on DeBoer and GM Mathieu Darche, who will need to decide whether he’ll be part of their plans for next year’s team.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Islanders prospect Jesse Nurmi has been reassigned to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders from his OHL team, the London Knights, according to the league’s transactions wire. Nurmi, 21, tried his hand at pro hockey early this season but only managed two points across 12 games for the Islanders’ ECHL affiliate, the Worcester Railers. He was loaned back to the OHL in December. In London, the 2023 fourth-round pick managed 14 goals and 31 points in 30 games, along with one point in the Knights’ first round series loss to the Soo Greyhounds. With today’s reassignment, he’ll get the chance to once again try his hand at pro hockey this season.
- Former Islanders defenseman Robin Salo will leave the SHL’s Malmö Redhawks after two seasons with the club, according to a team announcement. The 27-year-old was a second-round pick of the Islanders at the 2017 draft and ended up skating in 32 NHL games for the club, coming during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns. Salo was last part of the organization in 2023-24, when he scored 24 points in 68 games for AHL Bridgeport. Salo was once one of the Islanders’ top prospects, ranking No. 3 in the team’s system in 2021, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. That high ranking was shared by the team at Elite Prospects, who ranked Salo the Islanders’ No. 2 prospect that same year. While Salo never quite became the steady NHL defenseman some scouts projected him to be, he’s nonetheless developed into a valuable blueliner in the SHL. He led all Redhawks defensemen in scoring with 40 points in 52 games this season and was a true No. 1 defenseman for Malmö, averaging 24:45 time on ice per game. He ranked No. 5 in scoring by a defenseman in the SHL this season and led all blueliners in time on ice per game.
Islanders’ Tony DeAngelo Out One To Two Weeks
The Islanders won’t have their #2 right-side defender for the next three to five games. The team announced at puck drop of last night’s 2-1 win over the Stars that Tony DeAngelo will miss one to two weeks with a lower-body injury.
DeAngelo was unable to go last night, his first time sitting out a game this season. He left Tuesday night’s game against the Blackhawks midway through the first period after appearing to strain something while rushing back to defend a 2-on-0.
Luckily, it’s not worse as the Isles try to emerge victorious in the fierce battle for playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. After joining the team as a stopgap option from the Kontinental Hockey League midway through last season amid a rash of injuries, DeAngelo played well enough to earn a one-year, $1.75MM to return to Long Island at the beginning of free agency.
DeAngelo has rewarded the Isles’ faith by re-establishing himself as an everyday NHL option, ranking sixth on the team with a 5-28–33 scoring line through 72 contests. His -3 rating and 45.2 xGF% at 5-on-5 (per Natural Stat Trick) indicate he remains the imperfect defensive threat he’s been throughout all of his 10-year NHL career, but he’s been valuable as their second-unit power play quarterback behind standout rookie Matthew Schaefer and has found good chemistry with shutdown partner Adam Pelech at even strength.
A pending unrestricted free agent again, the Islanders will likely make a push to retain the 30-year-old. Depth option Adam Boqvist is a non-tender candidate, and with no right-shot options in the system set to challenge for an NHL job, they’d prefer to have him back to fill out that side with Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield unless they feel a meaningful upgrade is both available and affordable in free agency.
While Pulock was able to return to action last night after missing two games with a lower-body injury, DeAngelo’s absence now means that Isaiah George will stay on the NHL roster as their #7 option after being jockeyed between New York and AHL Bridgeport a couple of times this week.
Injury Notes: Malkin, DeAngelo, Roy
Pittsburgh Penguins legend Evgeni Malkin’s upper-body injury is unrelated to the previously nagging one which sidelined him in the winter, according to head coach Dan Muse, as shared by Josh Yohe, team beat writer.
Earlier today it became apparent that Malkin would be day-to-day, with forward Ville Koivunen recalled as a result. The 39-year-old is still fifth in team scoring despite playing just 50 games, coming in just above the point-per-game mark with 52.
A future Hall of Famer, there’s little doubt he will be an impact player until the end, but Malkin’s 2024-25 performance seemed indicative of decline. Instead, Malkin has turned back the clock this year under Muse as a huge part of the Pens’ resurgence. He will finish 2025-26 under last year’s 68 total games, but it’s by no means shocking for any player nearing 40.
Losing their star against the league’s top team in Colorado creates a tall task, but thankfully it doesn’t seem serious and Malkin could be back as soon as Thursday in Ottawa.
Elsewhere across the league:
- The New York Islanders announced mid-game that Tony DeAngelo won’t return due to a lower-body injury. The defenseman’s night came to an end after six shifts which totaled 6:09. DeAngelo has become a journeyman, but the 30-year-old still plays a key role for New York with power play time and top four minutes, all on an expiring contract worth just $1.75MM. The New Jersey native has 33 points in 71 games, not missing a single game for the Islanders to this point. He seemed to skate gingerly after hustling back in an attempt to catch a Blackhawks rush which led to a goal. If he has to miss an extended period, it would be a tough blow for the Islanders’ hopes to hold onto their Wild Card berth in a season which has surpassed expectations.
- Before tonight’s game in Pittsburgh, the Colorado Avalanche revealed that Nicolas Roy wouldn’t play due to an upper body injury. Additional details aren’t clear, but the forward played just 8:40 on Sunday against Washington, well below his normal usage as a third liner. In nine games with Colorado since being acquired from the Maple Leafs, Roy has three goals, after finding the back of the net just five times in 59 games prior. The 29-year-old could return as soon as Thursday in Winnipeg, his new club closing in on the Presidents’ Trophy as long as they can maintain their current pace.
Islanders Re-Sign Tony DeAngelo
The Islanders have reached a one-year agreement to keep defenseman Tony DeAngelo off the market, the team announced. Frank Seravalli reports it’s worth $1.75MM, giving the Isles $12.94MM in cap space with a roster size of 19, per PuckPedia.
It’s an unsurprising resolution to a season that saw DeAngelo regain momentum as a regular in an NHL lineup. The offensively gifted but defensively challenged blue-liner spent 2023-24 on a one-year deal with the Hurricanes following the second buyout of his career, but slipped to a No. 7 role on their depth chart and only managed 11 points in 31 games. He didn’t receive NHL interest on the open market as a result and headed overseas, signing with SKA St. Petersburg in Russia.
The 29-year-old exploded on a team that included notable names like Ivan Demidov and Evgeny Kuznetsov, recording 32 points in 34 games for SKA before terminating his deal mid-season to pursue NHL opportunities. The Islanders, who were in desperate need of defensive depth at the time, particularly on the right side with Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock out of the lineup, signed him to a one-year, league minimum contract in January.
His return to NHL ice went as expected. He took over as their top power play quarterback, averaging a career-high 23:21 per game, and produced a 4-15–19 scoring line in 35 games. Only Dobson produced more points per game among Islanders defensemen last year than DeAngelo’s 0.54. He also finished sixth-worst on the team with a -11 rating despite playing less than half the schedule, although the Isles did still manage to create more than they gave up with him on the ice at even strength – a 51.8 CF% and 50.9 xGF% back that up.
With Dobson now traded to the Canadiens, DeAngelo fills a need for the Islanders. He’ll presumably remain on their top power-play unit and adds depth to an organization pretty thin on right-shot defensemen. As things stand, it’ll presumably be one of DeAngelo or the comparable Adam Boqvist in the lineup as a pure offensive option on the right side, along with the more defensively inclined Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock.
DeAngelo will give the Islanders a sixth defenseman signed to a one-way deal for 2025-26. Four of them are righties, so there’s still plenty of space for lefty Matthew Schaefer to land a spot in the lineup after going first overall in last week’s draft.
Frank Seravalli was first to report the Islanders and DeAngelo were nearing a contract.
Islanders Notes: Dobson, Reilly, Palmieri, DeAngelo, Varlamov
Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson is slated to become a restricted free agent this summer and is in line for a substantial raise on the $4MM he made on his bridge deal. Speaking to reporters including Ethan Sears of the New York Post, the 25-year-old declined to provide a preference between signing a short-term deal that could allow him to hit the open market in his prime or a long-term agreement that could make him the highest-paid player in team history. Dobson had a quieter year this season with 10 goals and 29 assists in 71 games but he’s only a year removed from a 70-point effort that saw him land in the top ten in Norris Trophy voting which will play a significant role in negotiations. Dobson has just this one year of RFA eligibility remaining and he is arbitration-eligible.
More from the Isles:
- After missing more than four months following being diagnosed with a heart condition, defenseman Mike Reilly told reporters including Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News he intends to play next season. The 31-year-old was limited to just 18 appearances this season between the heart issue and being scratched with some frequency and while he noted he’d like to stay with the Isles, the limited usage could suggest that he’s unlikely to be brought back. Reilly had just two assists in those 18 outings while his 15:10 ATOI was the second lowest of his career.
- Winger Kyle Palmieri wasn’t moved at the trade deadline with the belief that the two sides were close on a new deal. That hasn’t happened yet but the veteran indicated to Newsday’s Andrew Gross and other reporters that he’s hopeful a new contract can be reached. A pending UFA, the 34-year-old had 24 goals and 24 assists in 82 games this season which should put him in line for another contract close to the $5MM he received for each of the last four years.
- Pending UFA defenseman Tony DeAngelo told reporters including Gross that his intention is to remain in the NHL next season with his preferred outcome being remaining with the Isles. Signed midseason after having his KHL deal terminated, DeAngelo played a bigger role than expected, averaging over 23 minutes a night of playing time while chipping in with 19 points in 35 games. With that type of production, DeAngelo’s market might be better this time around after not getting a firm offer last summer while playing for the prorated league minimum when he joined New York.
- Goaltender Semyon Varlamov is hoping to start skating in June as he continues his recovery from a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup since late November, Gross relays. The 36-year-old posted a 2.89 GAA with a .889 SV% in just ten starts this season and still has two years left on his contract that carries a $2.75MM cap charge.
Metropolitan Notes: Strome, Fitzgerald, Islander Defenders
Center Dylan Strome is in the lineup tonight after being questionable to play due to sickness, per a team announcement. He was a full participant in today’s morning skate and is centering the team’s top line between Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson.
Despite feeling under the weather, Strome scored Washington’s first goal of the game tonight against the Red Wings. His availability is key for the Capitals as they continue their run towards the top seed in the eastern conference. Strome has been instrumental to the team’s success, registering 65 points in 67 games played. He is set to break his career high of 67 points in a season, which he recorded just last year.
In his last three seasons, he has recorded 71 goals and 197 points and has assisted on many Ovechkin’s goals as the Russian sniper nears the all-time mark.
Elsewhere in the Metro:
- Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald discussed a scary situation that occurred to his son with his fellow general managers at their annual meetings, per an NHL release. Fitzgerald’s son, Casey Fitzgerald, a defender with Hartford of the AHL, sustained a serious cut to his neck from a skate blade in a game against Providence on Dec. 28. Casey was wearing a neck guard, which is mandated by the AHL, but the skate hit above the guard, and it was very close to being a life-threatening situation. The elder Fitzgerald approved of photos being shown of the wound, acknowledging the photos could serve as a reminder to the seriousness of these gruesome injuries. While the AHL requires cut-resistant equipment, the NHL currently doesn’t have these provisions in place. While Fitzgerald would like to see this change, he is also looking toward even better advancements in protective equipment. He noted that had the skate hit his son’s neck guard, it wouldn’t have prevented the cut from taking place in that particular situation. But better preventative measures, including wider neck straps, could help prevent serious cuts.
- The Islanders’ Adam Pelech is playing tonight against the Penguins, while defenders Alexander Romanov and Adam Boqvist both missed the contest due to illness, per a team announcement. Pelech was a full participant in the Islanders morning skate on Tuesday after missing Sunday’s contest against the Florida Panthers with a lower-body injury. Coach Patrick Roy noted his return as a huge support for the team. Pelech has recorded 17 assists, 65 blocked shots, and 68 hits through 45 games on the season. With Romanov and Boqvist out, defender Tony DeAngelo is paired with Pelech, and veteran Mike Reilly cracked the lineup for just the 13th time this season.
Islanders Sign Tony DeAngelo To One-Year Deal
Saturday: DeAngelo has passed through waivers unclaimed, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. That paves the way for him to officially join the Islanders.
Friday: The Islanders signed unrestricted free agent defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a one-year deal on Friday, per a team announcement. He’ll join the club for the remainder of the 2024-25 season after recently being released by SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League, assuming he clears return waivers. The deal is worth the prorated league minimum of $775K with no bonuses, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.
DeAngelo, 29, generated little interest on the open market last summer after completing a one-year, $1.675MM contract with the Hurricanes. He reportedly approached the Oilers about a professional tryout shortly before training camp, but the interest wasn’t mutual. DeAngelo then inked a one-year deal to head to Russia for the first time, a move that had been rumored for much of the latter half of the offseason.
The power-play specialist told Larry Brooks of the New York Post in early December that he wasn’t optimistic about an NHL return, but it appears he felt an opportunity may be materializing when SKA released him on Jan. 13. The New Jersey native lit up the KHL in his brief run overseas, posting 32 points and a +15 rating in 34 games on a St. Petersburg roster that includes longtime Capital and brief Hurricanes teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov and Canadiens top prospect Ivan Demidov.
DeAngelo’s move overseas means he must clear the little-used return waiver process. It’s sometimes resulted in claims, including the Coyotes nabbing Harri Säteri off waivers from the Maple Leafs in 2022 after Toronto attempted to bring him over to bolster their goaltending depth.
The Islanders were in need of blue-line help, especially on the right side. Star defender Noah Dobson sustained a right leg injury Monday against the Blue Jackets and is out week-to-week, while depth puck-mover Mike Reilly remains on long-term injured reserve after undergoing heart surgery in November.
DeAngelo provides a power-play replacement for the duo but certainly can’t replicate Dobson’s minutes at even strength. He returned to Carolina for his second stint with the Hurricanes last season after being bought out for the second time in his career by the Flyers. However, he was limited to 11 points in 31 games and averaged a paltry 14:20 per game while sitting in the press box for most of the back half of the campaign.
The 5’11” righty has 210 points in 371 career NHL games, 89 of which have come on the power play. His 0.57 points per game since debuting in the 2016-17 season ranks 30th among defenders with at least 100 games played during that timeframe.
Defensive deficiencies and constant unavailability due to external and internal suspensions have limited DeAngelo’s ceiling as a top-four option for most of his career. He most notably spent nearly all of the 2020-21 campaign with the Rangers on their taxi squad after an altercation with then-teammate Alexandar Georgiev and was bought out at season’s end, coming just one year after he finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting in 2019-20 with a career-best 53 points in 68 games.
A first-round pick by the Lightning in 2014, DeAngelo now joins his sixth NHL organization. He won’t be eligible to play tonight against the Flyers while on return waivers but could make his Isles debut against Carolina tomorrow if he clears.
The Islanders don’t have an open roster spot, but they won’t need one until DeAngelo’s waiver period ends. They’ll need to clear two places before the Carolina game, as winger Maxim Tsyplakov is also set to return from a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Philadelphia center Ryan Poehling last week. That will likely involve returning forward Marc Gatcomb to AHL Bridgeport and moving Dobson to IR, but they have a few other options too.
DeAngelo will most likely suit up as a third-pairing option while handling top-unit power-play duties in Dobson’s absence. Veterans Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield will presumably continue to lock down the Isles’ top two pairings on the right side.
Snapshots: Tomasino, DeAngelo, Tracey, Stephens
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has shared that red-hot winger Philip Tomasino will be held out of Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury. Seth Rorabaugh of Pittsburgh’s Tribune-Review Sports adds that Tomasino is out on a day-to-day basis.
Tomasino has been on fire since joining the Penguins. He’s on a four-game scoring streak, netting three goals and four points along the way. Tomasino has already lapped the one assist he managed in 11 games with Nashville to start the year – likely thanks to the near-four minutes more in average ice time he’s received in Pittsburgh, jumping from 11:18 a night with Nashville to 15:00 with Pittsburgh. Tomasino is one of seven Penguins rivaling point-per-game scoring over the last four games. That standing will earn him a quick return to the Penguins’ top-six when he’s back to full health.
Other quick notes around the league:
- Polarizing defenseman Tony DeAngelo shared that he’s not optimistic about an NHL return with Larry Brooks of the New York Post. DeAngelo signed a contract with Russia’s SKA St. Petersburg this summer. He’s managed four goals and 24 points in his first 23 games with the club. He told Brooks that his goal is to return to the NHL, but didn’t specify what’s limiting his hopes. DeAngelo played through eight NHL seasons, mostly spent between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes. He stood as a high-scoring, but minimal-defense option for both teams. With no NHL deal in sight, DeAngelo moved to Russia over the summer and may be kept there despite scoring above a point-per-game. DeAngelo is joined on the SKA roster by former NHL players Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nikita Zaitsev, and Mikhail Grigorenko.
- Brayden Tracey, the 29th-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has signed a one-year contract with Jukurit of Finland’s Liiga. He’ll move over seas after starting this season with no points through four games with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Tracey has spent the bulk of the last five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks’ minor league affiliate, totaling 84 points through 188 games. He’s received just one NHL game over that tenure – recording nine minutes of ice time and no scoring in a win over Detroit in January of 2022. He was returned to the minors immediately after, and hasn’t earned a look since. Tracey will now try to prove his worth, and earn another NHL contract, with a strong year in Finland’s top league.
- The Seattle Kraken have returned forward Mitchell Stephens to the minor leagues, per the AHL Transaction Log. Stephens slotted into Seattle’s last four games, recording six shots on net but no scoring while operating on the Kraken’s fourth line. He’ll return to a middle-six role in the AHL, where he currently has three goals and four points in 11 games. Stephens split time between the Montreal Canadiens’ NHL and AHL roster last season, recording three points in 23 NHL games and 35 points in 49 AHL games.