Matthew Maggio is headed for a new opportunity overseas, with Stefen Rosner of The Elmonters reporting that the forward is expected to sign with Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL. A few details still need to be finalized, but the expectation is that Maggio will have the deal done before the KHL season opens on September 5th.
The move closes the book, at least for now, on Maggio’s run in the Islanders organization. The 23-year-old was selected 142nd overall by New York in the 2022 NHL Draft after a big season with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, where he put up 38 goals and 85 points in 66 games and added seven goals and 17 points in 25 postseason contests.
What came next was the kind of leap that turns heads. In his post-draft season, Maggio took on the captaincy in Windsor and erupted for 54 goals and 111 points in 66 games, finishing as the OHL’s top scorer and earning regular-season MVP honors. When that year ended, he wrapped it up on an amateur tryout agreement with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders.
New York then signed Maggio to his entry-level contract before the 2023-24 season, but the results never translated the way the organization hoped. He wasn’t able to force his way out of Bridgeport over the life of the deal, and his usage tailed off late in the season, including the team’s brief appearance in the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs.
Now Maggio is chasing the kind of steady professional role that wasn’t there for him in the Islanders system. The KHL gives him that chance, and at 23, he still leaves the door open for a possible return to North America in a year or two if things go well with Admiral. He departs the AHL with 35 goals and 81 points in 187 games, along with a minus-35 rating.
In Other News...
Islanders Have An Awkward Carson Soucy Question Hanging Over Camp
The Islanders added Carson Soucy this summer by sending a third-round pick to the Rangers, a move that gave the blue line another veteran option with a reputation for NHL experience and a physical edge. General manager Mathieu Darche pointed to those traits after the trade, the kind of description that suggests Soucy should fit neatly into the mix when camp opens.
But there is still a lingering question around his place beyond this season, because Soucy remains without a contract for 2026-27 only a few weeks before training camp. That leaves an odd bit of uncertainty hanging over a player the Islanders just brought in for an immediate defensive boost, with his longer-term role on Long Island still not sorted out. [Read more 🡒]