Good Morning Islanders Country,
The Islanders were off again on Tuesday as they continue their respite before resuming play Saturday night in Nashville.
That said, there was still business to be done, so let’s catch you up on the latest Isles news.
📰 NEWS: The Islanders announced a four-year extension for Ross Johnston with a $1.1M cap hit. Johnston, who has appeared in just one game this season, was in the final year of a similar contract he agreed to back in 2018. Since the beginning of the 2017-18 season, Johnston ranks second on the Islanders with 198 penalty minutes and nearly 19 hits per 60 minutes. (Isles Fix contributor, Nicole Shirman, will have more on Johnston in ‘Overtime.’)
👍🏻ALL CLEAR: Goaltender Cory Schneider cleared waivers on Tuesday and was re-assigned to Bridgeport (AHL). Meanwhile, Semyon Varlamov (soreness) was activated off IR on Tuesday and could be ready for Saturday's game at Nashville. Schneider, 35, didn't appear in a game for the Isles and last played in the NHL during the 2019-20 season.
⧓ ARCHITECT HONORED: The late, great Bill Torrey was announced as one of the members of the AHL Hall of Fame Class of 2022 on Tuesday. Torrey, who started his career in the AHL in 1961 as the publicity director for the Pittsburgh Hornets, also served on the Executive Committee of the AHL Board of Governors for two decades and was a member of the AHL Hall of Fame selection committee from its inception in 2006. Former Islander Keith Aucoin was also announced as a part of the class.
🎭 MASKING UP: Two masks aren’t enough for the NHL’s third star of the week, Ilya Sorokin. Images of a third mask surfaced on social media on Tuesday, courtesy of Sylvie Marsolais’ Instagram page. The new lid features the Brooklyn Bridge embedded in the “N” and a lighthouse inside the “Y” with the phrase “I Believe I Can Fly” inscribed on the back.
🙅 OFF LIMITS: We got the latest look at the Islanders’ locker room at UBS Arena. The logo in the middle of the room is down too, which means to avoid bad luck, media members will have to watch where they are walking if/when they are permitted back in the dressing room to interview players this season.
👩🏫 SOUND SMART: Believe it or not, Josh Bailey (1G, 3A) leads the Islanders in points with four through the first six games, all while being a -3. Mathew Barzal and Oliver Wahlstrom are both tied for the team lead with three goals apiece.
📚 ISLE REMEMBER: Yesterday marked the six-year anniversary of the Islanders’ first shutout at Barclays Center. The Isles defeated the Calgary Flames 4-0 with Jaroslav Halak stopping all 29 shots he faced.
⏭ NEXT UP: Three more off days until the Isles finally play again on Saturday in Nashville. The 3–4–0 Predators are also idle for the remainder of the week, so two well-rested teams will face off against each other this weekend.
📊 STANDINGS: Two Metro teams played on Tuesday and both lost in regulation. The Tampa Bay Lightning won for the first time in regulation, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 at PPG Paints Arena and the Calgary Flames won their fourth straight game to start a five-game road trip, 5-3 against the New Jersey Devils.
Islanders Extend Ross Johnston Four Years
by Nicole Shirman
The New York Islanders and forward Ross Johnston agreed to a four-year, $1.1 million contract extension yesterday.
Johnston, a Prince Edward Island native, has played 87 games in six seasons with the Islanders. He went undrafted and signed an entry-level contract in 2015, remaining with the organization ever since.
One of the last true “enforcers” in an evolving NHL, Johnston brings a skillset to the table that is especially valuable on the current market, where grit is at a premium. Additionally, he’s shown sneaky flashes of silky hands and offensive ability. With limited roster space and the possibility of needing to waive Johnston on the horizon, GM Lou Lamoriello wielded the contract extension as a weapon and aversion tactic to interested teams.
It is, after all, much more unlikely that teams will want to put in a claim on a niche player with a hefty term and keep him on their NHL roster. This gives the Islanders leeway when making future roster decisions.
The $1.1 million cap hit — going on the books beginning in the 2022-23 season — can be completely buried in the AHL with Bridgeport and will not count against the Islanders’ cap hit if they decide to send him down.
Johnston is still only 27 years old and has an opportunity to develop into a consistent bottom-six player under the tutelage of coach Barry Trotz, who turned Tom Wilson, originally solely an enforcer, into a legitimate top-six winger and one of the best power forwards in the league with the Capitals. However, even if he doesn’t, the Islanders are no worse for wear in the long term.
Clearly, the organization likes having Johnston around whether he’s on or off the ice. This is an all-around solid contract for both a loyal and hardworking player and a team that does not need him on the ice very often but still wishes to keep his skillset and locker room presence on hand without taking up valuable cap space.
🎧 Nassaumen Hockey Podcast, James Nichols & Jon Zella: “Sorokin stole the show this past week. He’s buoyed a team making a lot of mistakes in their own end, but it’s great to see how well he’s playing. The Isles offense, while not as robust as we’d all like, has been fairly balanced. They’ve been getting a wide range of players finding the back of the net, which will pay dividends as the season progresses.”
🔗 Zdeno Chara's early struggles may force changes to Islanders' defense, by Andrew Gross, Newsday “The early results have been mixed in Chara’s second tenure with the Islanders (3-2-1), who resume their 13-game road trip on Saturday at Nashville and were off for a second straight day on Tuesday. He’s still a towering presence in the defensive zone but, at times, has struggled to make passes to clear the zone and has not looked strong enough on his skates, often losing physical battles.”
🔗UBS Arena Signs New Partnership Agreement with Premium Automaker, by New York Islanders PR “The New York Islanders announced today a new partnership with BMW making the premium automaker the official & exclusive luxury vehicle of UBS Arena and the New York Islanders. The partnership will focus on elevating the premium experience for concert and hockey fans through several touchpoints, most notably ownership of a VIP entrance, BMW Premium Entry - East.”
🎧 No Sleep Til Belmont - Ilya Sorokin posts back-to-back-shutouts, The Athletic New York “Arthur and Grabs break down the Isles’ three-game point streak, including back-to-back shutouts by Ilya Sorokin over the Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights and NHL Third Star of the Week honors, Josh Bailey’s impressive play, Zdeno Chara’s continued adjustment period, and more.”
📝 In 'best interests of USA Hockey,' Stan Bowman steps down as GM of 2022 Olympic men's team after Chicago Blackhawks investigation, by Greg Wyshynski, ESPN: “The announcement came hours after Bowman ‘stepped aside’ as general manager and president of hockey operations of the Chicago Blackhawks, following an investigation into how the team handled sexual assault allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich during its 2010 Stanley Cup run.”
And we leave you with this…MSG Network’s Shannon Hogan shared a part virtual/part in-person tour of the UBS Area Main Entrance on her Instagram page.
Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until tomorrow’s newsletter.
And please check out our newsletters about the Knicks and Mets, too.