The Islanders have a path to something bold, and it runs straight through Simon Edvinsson.
New York could make a real run at the Red Wings’ restricted free agent defenseman via offer sheet, a possibility that first surfaced in the NY Post through Ethan Sears and has only picked up steam since. The idea makes plenty of sense on the hockey side, especially with Alexander Romanov going down earlier this week and being pretty much done for the season. If the Islanders need a new high-end defensive defenseman, Edvinsson suddenly looks like a very clean fit.
Detroit, for its part, has reportedly given Edvinsson’s camp permission to talk to other teams, even though interim GM Shawn Horcoff has said the club would rather sign the 23-year-old. That doesn’t shut the door on a trade, and it certainly doesn’t eliminate the possibility of an offer sheet.
The real question is price. A recent Athletic piece pegged Edvinsson’s value at around $9 million AAV, which drops him right into a compensation tier that would cost a first-, second-, and third-round pick. If the deal climbs above $9.55 million and stays under $11.939 million, the Islanders would have to give up an extra first-round pick as well.
On paper, that’s a hurdle - but not a deal-breaker. New York has the draft capital to make the compensation work.
Cap space is where things get tricky. The Islanders have just $2.9 million available right now, which obviously doesn’t come close to covering a contract in Edvinsson’s range.
Placing Romanov on LTIR helps, but only partially. Under the current CBA, the Islanders can’t clear Romanov’s full cap hit, and the relief comes out to roughly $3.22 million.
Add that to the existing $2.9 million and New York gets to only $6.12 million.
That still leaves a massive gap if Edvinsson is sitting near $9 million.
So yes, this can be done. The Islanders have the draft picks, and they have a legitimate reason to chase a player like Edvinsson.
But if Mathieu Darche wants to pull it off, he’s going to need to move money out first. Right now, that flyer on Ondrej Palat looks like the kind of contract that could stand in the way.
In Other News...
Islanders Fans Have A New Puppy Story To Follow This Season
The Islanders spent part of their week at UBS Arena doing more than hockey work, taking part in the 10th annual Pucks and Paws Calendar photo shoot with the Guide Dog Foundation. The project pairs current and future service dogs with players, and the calendar goes on sale Nov. 25 with proceeds supporting the foundations work for veterans, first responders and people who are blind.
It also keeps the teams Puppy with a Purpose tradition rolling along in its seventh year, giving fans another offseason-adjacent storyline to track once the ice gets busier. This latest puppy is just getting started on the path that service-dog candidates follow, and the Islanders are again tying one of their most feel-good community efforts to a cause with a bigger purpose than anything that shows up in the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Already Face A Depth Problem Four Games Into The Season
Four games into the season, the Islanders are already trying to patch together a lineup that has been hit from several directions. Mat Barzal is still working his way back from a knee injury after missing training camp, and the blue line has taken another hit with Isaiah George suffering a long-term injury in a recent game. For a team built around structure and depth, that kind of early attrition puts pressure on every pairing and every line combination far sooner than anyone expected.
The timing is especially awkward because the injury list keeps growing before the schedule has even settled in. With Alexander Romanov unavailable and the defense already thin, the Islanders do not have much room for error as they sort through replacements and call-up options. And with Bo Horvat also dealing with a head injury, the team is now facing questions up front as well, leaving its depth chart looking a lot shakier than it did just days ago. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Prospects Big Opportunity Just Took A Brutal Turn
The Hamilton Hammers got a real showcase night in their first home game as the Islanders new AHL affiliate, with more than 14,000 fans packing the building and giving the operation an immediate jolt of buzz. Even in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Toronto Marlies, there was plenty for the organization to like about the setting, which had the feel of an important first step in building the next wave of Islanders depth.
Isaiah Georges night, though, changed the tone quickly. The defenseman left in the second period with an injury, and head coach Jay McKee did not sound optimistic about a quick return, a tough development for a young player who had already dealt with injuries last season. For an Islanders prospect group that needs every meaningful game it can get, losing one of its more interesting blue-line pieces this early is a brutal twist to start the affiliation era. [Read more 🡒]