The Islanders entered July 1 with a little bit of uncertainty, needing help in the top-six and also needing to fill some defensive holes, signing pending RFAs, as well as filling out depth. Mathieu Darche was busy today.
Re-Sign Tony DeAngelo
The first move of the day was bringing back Tony DeAngelo. This was a no brainer move for Darche, after moving Noah Dobson to Montreal, DeAngelo was a must to return. He quarterbacked the power play and produced offensively in Dobson’s absence last year when he was injured, Darche signed him to a one-year deal worth $1.75 Million.
Signed David Rittich
The Islanders needed some more goalie depth after what happened last year, Varlamov went down early with injury, and Marcus Hogberg also went down with injury, leaving Jakub Skarek as Ilya Sorokin’s backup, who had no NHL experience. That won’t be happening this year. Rittich is an NHL Caliber backup who spent last year with the Kings, and who is making a fairly cheap $1 million. Weather or not Varlamov will be ready to start in training camp remains to be seen, but Rittich is a more than capable backup.
Signed Ethan Bear
Bear is a very good depth signing for the Islanders. The Islanders who currently have DeAngelo, Pulock, Mayfield, and Boqvist on the right side, get some more depth. Bear will likely play in Bridgeport, but is quality NHL depth if needed. And given Darche wanting to put more emphasis on development in the AHL level.
Signed Jonathan Drouin
The Islanders main splash of the day, and an unexpected one, Jonathan Drouin. Drouin played the last two years for Colorado, and tallied 11 goals and 37 points in 43 games last year before getting injured. Drouin is a great playmaker, and the Isles are getting him on a really good deal here. A 2-year deal carrying a $4 million AAV, adding more depth to the forward core and one that will play in the top-six next season. Also, Darche hinted that he could play with Bo Horvat next season, which is fueling the fire that Barzal and Horvat could get separated, moving Barzal back to center.
Re-Signed Simon Holmstrom
The Islanders biggest RFA heading into July 1 was Simon Holmstrom, and it was expected that he would take a Bridge deal, and he did. Inking a 2-year deal worth $3.625 million. The best part is he will be an RFA after the deal expires in 2027. Holmstrom broke out for the Islanders last season, and if he continues, will become a mainstay in their top-six for years to come.
Filled out AHL Depth
Darche as we know has made a big emphasis on the importance of not only drafting and developing, as we saw when he made three first round picks in last weeks draft, but the importance of a competitive AHL team. Filling out the roster with quality players is a must. Darche added a lot of pieces to that roster, signing Ethan Bear, Cole McWard, Chris Terry, Max Dorrington, Cam Berg, Ross Mitton, Hunter Drew, and Luke Rowe. I’d guess Darche makes more adds throughout the summer, but with an extra competitive roster at the NHL level, we could see a Kyle Maclean or Marc Gatcomb return to Bridgeport this fall as well.
What’s Next?
The Isles still have a few notable RFAs left to sign, in Maxim Tsyplakov and the newly acquired Emil Heineman. After that, the main thing to watch is the Maxim Shabanov sweepstakes. The star KHL winger has been linked to the Islanders and Flyers since October, with the latter being the current favorite, but don’t count the Isles out. Even though the Islanders have lots of forward depth, Shabanov coming in could help even more when it comes to scoring up and down the lineup.
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