Good Morning Islanders Country, and Happy Veterans Day 🇺🇸
Early Wednesday, we learned the Islanders’ tenure of everyone’s favorite uncle, Leo Komarov, had come to an end. It was at times a love/hate relationship with Komarov who signed a much-discussed 4-year $12 million contract on July 1, 2018, as one of Lou Lamoriello’s first moves after losing John Tavares in free agency.
The grizzly veteran had an unorthodox style that wasn’t always easiest on the eye but brought intangibles, leadership, and humor to the dressing room, and as long as he wasn’t playing on the top line, that was good enough for most fans.
We’ll break down what his move to the KHL means for the team’s growing cap space and more in just a bit.
The Islanders enjoyed their third day off of game action yesterday while preparing to play the New Jersey Devils tonight, and are finally playing a team they HAVE seen in the last year. This is only their second Metropolitan Division matchup of the 2021-22 season and first in the metro area so a heavy Isles Nation presence is expected at “The Rock.” Plus a milestone for Barzy, take the train to the game, the Flying Mayfields, and a feature on goalie prospect Tristan Lennox.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: Komarov is signing with SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL. This comes as a bit of a surprise as Lou Lamoriello told reporters that Komarov was just nursing an injury, and he would report to game action soon. He was placed on waivers and if/when he clears later today, his contract with the Islanders will be terminated. The Islanders will then have $3,884,669 in cap space with Komarov off the books, and Boychuk’s rights moved to Buffalo.
This isn’t just the end of Komarov’s Islander career, but likely his NHL career as well. In 164 games played with the Islanders, the Narva, Russia native recorded 11 goals, 48 points wearing orange and blue, and in 491 career games between the Isles and Toronto Maple Leafs, Uncle Leo registered 107 goals, 207 points.
🗣 QUOTEBOOK: The Islanders had 23 skaters on the ice at Northwell Health Ice Center yesterday which is nothing out of the ordinary. During media availability, the focus was on their defensive play, Barzal’s maturity, and of course, UBS Arena.
UPS AND DOWNS: “I think it's been good. There's definitely been times when there have been breakdowns. There's ups and downs always but it's been good so far.” - Scott Mayfield on the Islanders’ defensive play.
FAMILIAR FACES: “We know their tendencies. We know what they bring. It will be nice to start playing some of the other Metro teams that we're used to seeing.” - Mayfield on playing the Devils tonight.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER: “I think he's taking a jump in the area of acceptance. Acceptance on the game is on both sides of the puck. The game is a cause-and-effect relationship. He's putting those pieces together.” - Trotz comments on how he believes Mathew Barzal has improved his game.
GOLD STANDARD: “It was quite a while ago. It was more of the shell. I've had sort of a virtual tour. It will be state of the art. It will be the gold standard until someone else builds a new arena. It's going to be a crown jewel.” Trotz says he hasn’t seen UBS Arena in a while, but his sights are set high.
3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ MILESTONE: Tonight in NJ will mark Barzal’s 300th career NHL game.
RACK ‘EM UP: “I think it's just nice anytime you reach those. Whether it be your first hundred, 200, then 300. It's been fun being here,” said Barzal. “Glad they've all been with the Islanders and hopefully, I can keep racking them up.”
WELL-ESTABLISHED: “Obviously, when you reach 200 games, you’re a young veteran… You get to that 400-game mark, I consider you a real veteran in the league because you’ve had to endure probably five seasons or in that range,” Barry Trotz said. “Most players if they’re good young players, they’re starting at 20. So I look at it when a guy turns 25 years old or hits 400 games, they’re a pretty well-established veteran in the league.
AGE IS JUST A NUMBER: Barzal commented on his relationship with Andy Greene and poked a bit of fun at the age gap between the teammates. “If we were both 24, we'd have some fun together,” Barzal quipped. By the way, Greene who made his NHL debut at age 24, is at 998 career games played.
⏭ NEXT UP: The Isles will have three more off-days before back-to-back games in Florida against the Lightning and Panthers to end their 13-game road trip.
📊 STANDINGS: Only one Metropolitan Division team was in action on Wednesday as the Flyers hosted the Maple Leafs. William Nylander scored twice and Jack Campbell stopped all 36 shots he faced as Toronto beat Philadelphia 3-0.
🚂 ALL ABOARD: The new Elmont station serving UBS Arena will be open for eastbound travel on opening night, Nov 20. Download the latest TrainTime app update for the latest schedules, or see all our travel options to+from the arena.
👩🏫 SOUND SMART: Much like yesterday, we expected Barzal to be on a top-10 list when it comes to advanced analytics. Yesterday, Shayna Goldman provided some excellent insight on the NHL’s 2021-22 primary shot assist leaders. Barzal made the leaderboards at ninth overall. What many of us might not have expected? J.G. Pageau also made the top-10, eclipsing Barzal at eight overall.
🗓 ISLE REMEMBER: On November 10th, 1990, the Isles Patrick Flately hit the Calgary Flames, Joe Nieuwendyk, with this devastating blow. Flately, an Islanders Hall of Famer, was named the franchises' fifth Captain in October 1991, joining the ranks of Ed Westfall, Clark Gillies, Denis Potvin, and Brent Sutter.
Islanders Prospective: Tristan Lennox
by Nicole Shirman
After an injury scare sidelined him for multiple games, New York Islanders goalie prospect Tristan Lennox made his return to the net on both ends of a back-to-back last week, giving us the perfect opportunity to delve into who he is both on and off the ice.
Drafted by the Islanders 93rd overall in the third round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Lennox was rated third amongst eligible North American goaltenders. 6’4” and 196 lbs already at only 19 years old, Lennox has the potential to be a foreboding physical force in net. His goaltending style is notably aggressive, with an affinity for puck handling and tracking. He is calm and confident, hard to shake when on his game. Lennox excels with rebound control, his quick lateral movement, and pure athleticism offsetting his size and aiding with agility Though his positioning and technique need to be improved before he is ready to make a splash in the pro-leagues, he is certainly equipped with the tools to do so.
Through six games for the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL this season, Lennox has posted a .874 SV% and 2.91 GAA. By my eye test, he has outperformed these stats and made some truly incredible saves when his team needed them most — but the Spirit’s defense is not the best and prone to allowing breakaways and odd-man rushes which Lennox usually stops in their tracks. And if you encroach on his paint, you’ll be not so gently dealt with.
The biggest point in Lennox’s favor is that despite being unsigned, he was invited to Islanders training camp. Though he did not play in the preseason, Lennox stayed on Long Island until the end of camp even as other cuts were made to the roster. This means that the coaching staff sees his potential even now and he was given an opportunity to train with the best to help further that.
Off the ice, Lennox is a philanthropist who founded his own charity, Lenny’s House, in honor of his late grandfather who passed from ALS. Lenny’s House raises money for ALS as well as multiple different causes every year and donates everything to charities around Canada. Even at his young age, Lennox exemplifies the qualities of leadership and empathy that the Islanders’ locker room thrives on.
If any team in the league is capable of developing a goalie prospect of Lennox’s caliber, it’s the Islanders and their goaltending department of Mitch Korn, Piero Greco, and Chris Terreri (the Bridgeport Islander’s goalie coach and involved in player development). There is no need to rush him as the Islanders’ situation in the net is more or less set for the next few seasons, and his development will take priority.
🔗 Wahlstrom the sniper Isles have been looking for, by James Nichols, The Fourth Period: “When coach Trotz got his hands on Ovechkin during his time with the Washington Capitals, we saw The Great Eight develop into an all-around player. Now, Wahlstrom is following in the footsteps at the start of his career, filling nets and contributing in all three zones.”
🔗 Islanders’ Sorokin Early Season MVP, by Jon Zella, The Hockey Writers: “The Islanders rely heavily on their defense and goaltending, and when the former breaks down, as it has at times this season, the player between the pipes needs to be on top of their game. And boy, has Sorokin been there for his teammates, and they’re aware of their goalie’s hard work.”
🔗 Report: Leo Komarov Headed to KHL, by Christian Arnold, NYIHockeyNow: “A report early Wednesday morning indicated that Komarov was on his back to Russia to play for the KHL’s SKA. The New York Islanders put Leo Komarov on waivers in August and assigned him to AHL Bridgeport, but he was never suited up for them.”
🔗 Islanders Jean-Gabriel Pageau top 10 setup man, by Michel Anderson, Eyes on Isles: “Pageau’s four points in eight games for the Islanders put him on pace for 36 points over a full year. Which is admittedly not great. But whit these primary shot assists numbers you can rest assured that Pageau’s production will start to pick up at some point. He will be that 40+ point player he was last year.”
And we leave you with this…the only captain Scott Mayfield trusts more than Anders Lee is his brother, Captain Patrick Mayfield of the US Armed Forces. On SportsCenter, the Mayfield brothers talked about the Isles defenseman’s trip to Holloman Air Force Base for a ride with his brother.
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