The Islanders have three clear holes to address in free agency, and the list starts in goal.
Semyon Varlamov is expected to back up Ilya Sorokin, but the veteran hasn’t played in the NHL since Nov. 29, 2024, and had partial replacements on both knees. That leaves New York needing a real fallback option, even if last season’s backup doesn’t look like the answer.
Unrestricted free agent David Rittich is coming off a one-year, $1 million deal in which he went 14-10-3 with a 2.76 goals-against average and .894 save percentage, but the Islanders appear to be looking elsewhere. Among the other UFAs who could fit are Frederik Andersen, Stuart Skinner and Cam Talbot.
Up front, the Islanders may be staring at a major change with captain and power forward Anders Lee likely heading to free agency. That creates both a scoring and physicality need in the lineup, especially in the bottom six. Mason Marchment stands out as a potential fit after splitting last season between the Kraken and Blue Jackets, and he also played for coach Pete DeBoer with the Stars.
On the blue line, the picture is a little clearer after Tony DeAngelo agreed to a two-year, $9 million extension on Friday. That leaves the top six looking set with left-handed shots Matthew Schaefer, Adam Pelech and Alexander Romanov, plus right-handers Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield.
The Islanders also seem intent on giving 22-year-old Isaiah George a shot to make the team out of training camp. Still, depth matters, and the club could use another body because injuries are inevitable.
One name that fits that need is Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais, a righty listed at 6-7 and 225 pounds who also brings solid defensive metrics.
In Other News...
Islanders Finally Took A Chance On A Player They Wanted Badly
The Islanders have been circling Matias Maccelli for a while, seeing him as the kind of player who could make sense in their system long before he ever hit the market. When he finally became available, they moved quickly enough to bring him in on a one-year deal worth $2.25 million, a modest commitment for a player they clearly believe has more to offer than his current resume suggests.
For a team that has spent enough time looking for the right fit rather than the loudest splash, this is the sort of swing that can make sense. It is low-risk on paper, but the real appeal is what Maccelli might become in an environment the Islanders think can bring out more of his game, which is why the next question matters so much: whether this was simply an opportunistic add or the first step in a better fit finally paying off. [Read more 🡒]
Former Islanders Fan Favorite Just Landed A Deal That Will Sting
Ross Johnston is getting another chance to cash in on the skill set that made him such a useful role player in New York. The veteran forward, now 32, has spent the past three seasons with the Ducks after his run with the Islanders, and his game has long been built around bringing size, edge and enough reliability to help a lineup beyond the scoring touch.
The part Islanders fans will notice is how much his market has changed since he left Long Island. A new deal of this length and price point says there is still a real appetite for what Johnston offers, even if the fit is likely to be in a narrower, lower-line role. For a player who once gave the Islanders valuable two-way minutes, it is the kind of move that stings a little because it confirms he still has enough around the league to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Just Added A New Blue Line Wild Card
The Islanders have quietly added another layer to their blue line depth, bringing in a player with a mix of NHL mileage and a strong rsum everywhere else he has played. The move gives the club a fresh look on the back end, and it comes with the kind of low-risk upside teams often chase when they are trying to round out a defense corps.
Matthew Kessel arrives with 99 NHL games from his time with the St. Louis Blues, plus experience in the AHL and NCAA. He also helped the University of Massachusetts win the NCAA championship in 2021, a background that suggests the Islanders are betting on a defenseman who has already seen plenty of different levels and could still have something to prove. [Read more 🡒]