START OF THE SEASON SALE: 15% off with promo code “Isles Fix”
New York Islanders: A to Z will introduce a new generation of fans to the legendary players, magical moments, and colorful 50-year history of the Islanders.
Contributions from Brendan Burke, Stan Fischler, Chris King, and Jiggs McDonald.
You can purchase it HERE
A portion of the proceeds goes to the Islanders Children’s Foundation.
Good Morning, Islanders Country.
First off, thanks for all the positive feedback on “The Red Line,” our newly published podcast with co-hosts Phil Farber and David Tuchman. Many of you asked if it will be available on other platforms, and the answer is yes. You can already subscribe to it on iTunes, and it should be available wherever you listen to your podcasts by the next episode.
Now, by this time next week, the regular season will have commenced, and we will have almost certainly overreacted to the result, just as many have overreacted to the pre-season. The vibes were good entering camp, as they usually are, and ven with the Islanders in the comfortable position of being counted out before the season starts, there has been genuine optimism about seeing the same group that ended the season but is quite different from how they started last year.
On the flip side, the last two games left a lot to be desired, showing that there was still plenty to fine-tune before Saturday night (stop allowing SHGs!). But most importantly, they’re healthy and got Kyle Palmieri some action ahead of this week of practice. Lane Lambert has no doubt analyzed and evaluated what his opening night roster would be for weeks, if not months, and everyone is available to be used however he deems fit.
Coming up, waivers come and go without any Islanders on it, and Varly is happy where he is and what he’ll be doing. Plus, Josh Bailey is a free agent again, Calle Odelius is headed back to Europe, Bryan Trottier turns to TV, and the very early season playoff odds are published.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: The Islanders still have 24 players for their 23-man Opening Night roster… for now. The team decided not to place forward Ross Johnston on waivers on Sunday, meaning there is a move to be announced before the initial roster is set at 5 p.m. on Monday.
“I think it’s important [to keep everyone in the organization],” said head coach Lane Lambert on Friday. “But at the same time, you’re going to do what’s right for the hockey club and what’s right for the opening day roster.”
It’s been long thought that the final spot has been between Simon Holmstrom and Johnston, with the 2019 1st-round pick offering more versatility than the one-dimensional Johnston. However, Holmstrom is waiver-exempt, while Johnston and his $1.1M cap hit is not, which tips the scales in “Ross the Boss’s” favor.
Holmstrom has been given ample opportunity to win a spot, playing with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal throughout training camp and in three pre-season games. As was the case throughout his 50 games last season, there have been flashes of his offensive skillset, but the comfort level, consistency, and confidence just aren't there as often as they need to be.
Theoretically, the Islanders could get creative and send Holmstrom down (on paper) as a temporary maneuver to get compliant by the deadline and then make corresponding moves before Opening Night. Time will tell.
◾️ In Newsday, Andrew Gross caught up with goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who got his wish to stay on Long Island for the rest of his career. If things go according to plan, he’ll serve as backup to Ilya Sorokin for the next four years, and that’s perfectly fine with him.
“At this point, Ilya, of course, he’s going to play as a No. 1 goalie this year,” Varlamov told Newsday. “I’m 35. The future with the Islanders goes with him. I’m not 25 anymore. Do I need to play 60 games? No. Can I play 60 games? Yes.”
◾️ END OF THE ROAD? We’re not going to report and react to most ex-Islanders, but Josh Bailey is different. The 2008 1st round pick, who is third all-time in games played for the franchise, was released from his Professional Tryout (PTO) by the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. He played well for the Sens throughout the pre-season, scoring a goal and adding five assists in six games.
In fact, he even wore an "A" for the final pre-season game. Yet, it seems that the same limitations we observed in recent years on Long Island were on display throughout the pre-season and weren’t going to be a fit with the Sens.
This latest development puts his NHL future in question, with the chances of catching on with another organization at this juncture slim.
We’ll see what Bailey decides to do next.
◾️ After noise that there was a change of plans for 2022 2nd-round pick D Calle Odelius that have him play in North America this season, Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News confirmed that he will indeed be going back to Sweden to play for Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). The earliest we see Odelius in Bridgeport will be the 2024-25 season.
⏭ NEXT UP: It’s the regular season! The Islanders open up the 2023-24 campaign at home against Tage Thompson and the Buffalo Sabres. Face-off from UBS Arena in Elmont is at 7:30 PM EDT.
📊 STANDINGS:
◾️TROTS ON TV: Bryan Trottier will always be an Islanders legend first, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t allowed to have strong ties elsewhere - especially when you win two Stanley Cups there. This week, it was announced that Trottier, along with former NHL defenseman Matt Bartkowski, were named analysts for SportsNet Pittsburgh, the cable network for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The two new additions to the broadcast team in Pittsburgh join former Penguins forwards Colby Armstrong, Jay Caufield, and Mike Rupp (a former Islanders 1st-round pick) as analysts. The 67-year-old Trottier also works as a liaison for the team partnership sales and marketing departments.
📚 SOUND SMART: When the New Jersey Devils blanked the Islanders 3-0 in the pre-season finale for both teams, they became only the fifth team since 2005 to finish the pre-season undefeated (7-0-0). The other four teams that have gone undefeated in preseason play were San Jose ('05), Ottawa ('07), Calgary ('10) and Colorado ('16). The Islanders finished the pre-season 2-4-0.
🎥 ISLES REWIND: The Islanders opened up the 1986-87 season with a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. The loss to start the season was notable because it saw Bryan Trottier collect his 700th career assist in the game at Chicago Stadium. While some Stanley Cup champions remained, that season is when the roster really started to turn over for a variety of reasons.
“First Bobby Nystrom was hurt, then John Tonelli and Stefan Persson were traded, and now Clark Gillies and Bobby Bourne are gone as well,'' said captain Denis Potvin. ''It's a strange feeling, and not one we weren't expecting, but it seems to have happened all at once.''
📺 Hockey Night in New York - Buckle Up! Sean and Stefen were joined by Arthur Staple of the Athletic to recap the end of Islanders preseason, highlight takeaways from an interesting training camp, and give an outlook on the team heading into the opener.
🎧 Island Ice Ep. 169: NHL Network's Mark Parrish, a former Islander, joins the show to talk Isles and more with host Andrew Gross as opening night draws near.
🔗 Kenny Albert's Book With Great Islanders Nuggets Hits Shelves Next Week by Stan Fischler, Newsday “Long Island's own ace sportscaster, Kenny Albert is debuting his brand new book, A Mic For All Seasons. The official publication date is next Tuesday. Since Albert's career is closely intertwined with the New York Islanders, Albert and I have had a lot to discuss.”
And we leave you with this…the first MoneyPuck Playoff Odds of 2023-24. You may be surprised, but the Isles are given a 55.9% chance to make the playoffs. Although that is the fifth highest in the Metro, it is higher than the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until the next newsletter.
And please check out our newsletters about the Knicks and Mets, too.