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Welcome to Isles Fix! We’ve started this newsletter to bring Islander fans a new, unique, and comprehensive way to consume their Isles news. A lot happens each and every day for this hockey team that plays ON Long Island, and it’s our goal to get you caught up on everything Isles with your morning cup of coffee, on your daily commute, or during any free moment in your busy day.
As the season gets started, on most days we will provide you with a recap of the previous night’s game, all the key news and notes around the team, as well as stories you may have missed. PLUS, original content from the Isles Fix team, including in-depth player breakdowns, opinion pieces, and more!
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📰 NEWS: 24 hours before the deadline to make initial rosters official, New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello finalized the contracts on two veterans (as anticipated), and made another minor transaction.
⏱ ABOUT TIME: They’ve posed for pictures, they’ve played in games, they’ve held press conferences, and now we know the contracts for veterans Zach Parise and Zdeno Chara.
💰PERFORMANCE BONUS: In addition to their league-minimum base salaries, both Parise and Chara are eligible for performance bonuses since they are over 35-years old and signed one-year deals. The bonuses are only paid if they meet certain performance thresholds.
EXCEED THE CAP: The Islanders are allowed to exceed the cap to pay out these bonuses, up to a maximum of 7.5% of the cap. Besides Parise and Chara, the Isles have potential bonuses for Oliver Wahlstrom, Noah Dobson, and Andy Greene, totaling $2.8 million.
CAP CHARGE: If a team exceeds the salary cap due to these performance bonuses, then any amount over the cap is considered a Bonus Carryover and counts against the cap in the next season.
💨 GUST IN THE WIND: After a strong camp with the Isles showcasing his power-play skillset, Erik Gustafsson was released from his PTO (professional tryout). The 29-year old defenseman quickly returned to the Chicago Blackhawks on a one-year, $800K contract. Gustafsson accrued 17 goals, 60 points with the Blackhawks back in 2018-19.
DEPTH: With Gustafsson gone, that leaves Sebastian Aho as the seventh defenseman on the depth chart. He makes slightly less than Gustafsson (in fact, only $75,000 less), which has impact for a team that is right up against the cap. Of course, the initial 23-man roster isn’t due until 5:00 pm today, so more changes could be coming.
LTIR: Remember, the Islanders are technically over the cap limit right now, but would be in compliance by putting Johnny Boychuk on LTIR (long-term IR).
🌊 ALL CLEAR: Thomas Hickey and Richard Panik cleared waivers. It was not a surprise Hickey cleared waivers given his $2.5M cap hit and limited time in the NHL over the last two seasons. The Isles save $1.125M in cap space on Hickey. Panik still has a shot as the Isles 13th forward.
✍️ WHAT’S LEFT? The Islanders have some more transactions to finalize before Monday’s 5 PM deadline to complete their 23-man roster. Unsigned players include Kieffer Bellows, Cory Schneider, Anatoly Golyshev, and Michael Dal Colle.
⏭ NEXT UP: As mentioned, rosters need to be finalized at 5 PM TODAY. The Isles head to Raleigh, North Carolina on Thursday for their season opener where Isles Nation will be waiting for them!
📚 ISLE REMEMBER: Happy Birthday Mr. Islander!
🔗 UBS Arena Evokes The Best Of Nassau Coliseum And Completes The Evolution For The New York Islanders, by Jerry Beach, Forbes: “I love the intimacy — moving it from Nassau Coliseum (to) the new arena,” Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky said after a UBS Arena summit and before a tour of the building Sept. 30. “I talked to (Capitals superstar) Alex Ovechkin. He said that Nassau Coliseum was his favorite building in the league because of its intimacy. Could actually hear the fans individually yelling at him. We tried through great efforts to replicate that at UBS/Belmont.”
🔗 Elmont LIRR station opening for partial service next month, by Robert Traverso, LIHerald: “Electric shuttle buses slated to transport Belmont Park visitors will also serve LIRR commuters. Without the buses, Islanders fans and others would have a 10-minute walk from the station to the arena, the statement emphasized.”
🔗 How the Islanders could benefit from ‘invaluable’ Zdeno Chara and Zach Parise, by Arthur Staple, The Athletic ($): “The Islanders got where they are now by being one of the hardest-working teams in the league, so even if Parise and Chara had chosen other places to play, that standard has been set. It’s still something to see Chara, on his first day of camp with a new team, stapling guys to the wall in a drill, or Parise doing his Energizer Bunny thing during a scrimmage to retrieve pucks on the forecheck.”
🔗NHL season predictions 2021-22: Panel picks Stanley Cup winner, breakout star and biggest disappointment, by The Athletic Staff, The Athletic: Here’s how The Athletic staff ranked the Islanders:
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