The New York Islanders followed a very successful draft weekend with a very low-key, but effective day one of free agency.
Prior to the opening of free agency at noon Eastern on Tuesday, the team re-signed defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a one-year, $1.75M extension. DeAngelo was brought back from his Russian exile in the middle of last season and signed with the Islanders. The former first-round pick had 19 points in 35 games last season. With Noah Dobson traded to Montreal, DeAngelo will take his spot on the top power-play unit.
DeAngelo’s return was needed due to the lack of right-handed defensive depth. This sets up the Islanders with DeAngelo, Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield and Adam Boqvist on the right side of their defense.
The DeAngelo signing followed the Monday night extension of defenseman Alexander Romanov to an eight-year, $50 million contract. The annual cap hit is $6.25M.
Romanov, 25, scored 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 64 games last season during his third season with the Islanders and fifth in the NHL.
The Moscow, Russia, native ranked fourth amongst team defensemen in points and placed third on the team overall in average ice time per game at 22:18. Romanov also led all Islanders d-men in hits (147) and blocked shots (165).
The $6.25M seems high for next season, but with the salary cap increasing substantially, this move was a no-brainer. This will also be the last offseason where players can re-sign with their teams for eight seasons.
Drouin Comes Aboard
The Islanders announced that they signed winger Johnathan Drouin to a two-year, $4M AAV contract.
Drouin, 30, tallied 11 goals with 26 assists for 37 points in 43 games with the Colorado Avalanche in an injury-plagued last season.
The 2013 3rd overall pick had a career renaissance in Colorado after an inconsistent 6-year tenure in Montreal. Drouin finished with 93 points in 122 games with the Avalanche.
Drouin fills a hole within the Islanders’ left wing corps, as the team lacked consistent production from Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov in the middle six. Drouin can also play center if needed.
As of now, Drouin is best remembered for being on the receiving end of former Islander and current MSG analyst Thomas Hickey’s massive hit during Game 3 of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Lets hope Hickey has a chance to interview Drouin during the season.
Goaltending Insurance
The Islanders have signed goaltender David Rittich to a one-year, $1M contract. The 32-year-old appeared in 34 games with the Los Angeles Kings last season, posting a 2.84 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage.
The former all-star’s best season came in 2018-19 with the Flames, where he had a record of 27-9-5 with a 2.61 GAA and .911 SV%.
The move raises the question regarding the health of Semyon Varlamov. The Russians’ season ended last November, and they played in just ten games last season. Varlamov mentioned no setbacks during locker room cleanup day following the season. Varlamov inked a four-year extension in 2023, with two years remaining at an AAV of $2.75M
Even if Varlamov is healthy, goaltending depth is not a bad thing. In Varlamov’s absence. Head coach Patrick Roy used three other backup goaltenders. Most notably, Margus Hogberg, who struggled mightily.
Bear Sighting On The Island
The team also announced the signing of defenseman Ethan Bear. It is a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K.
Bear last played in the NHL for the Washington Capitals in 2023-24. The 28-year-old played for the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, last season. Bear had ten goals and 36 assists in 62 games.
The Bear signing provides needed depth in a depleted defensive corps in the organization. On Monday, the team did not tender qualifying offers to defensemen Aidan Fulp, Samuel Bolduc, and Scott Perunovich. Grant Hutton, who split time between New York and Bridgeport last season, has opted to test the open market.
The organization has also signed forward Matthew Highmore, along with defenseman Cole McWard, to one-year, two-way contracts. The Islanders also signed forwards Chris Terry, Max Dorrington, Cam Berg, Ross Mitton, and Hunter Drew, as well as defenseman Luke Rowe, to one-year AHL contracts.
According to Puck Pedia, the Islanders have $7,16M in cap space.
