The towering netminder is betting on himself, bypassing a standard offer to secure a more lucrative deal as the Islanders' goalie depth chart undergoes a summer shakeup.
The deadline for restricted free agents to accept their qualifying offers was Wednesday at 5 PM ET.
The New York Islanders sent qualifying offers out to goaltender Henrik Tikkanen and forwards Alex Jefferies and Joey Larson, all worth $850,000.
Jefferies filed for salary arbitration, with his date coming on July 30.
While we don't know if Larson accepted his qualifying offer, I was told that Tikkanen didn't accept his, as he'll be signing a deal worth more than that at the NHL level:
With Marcus Hogberg returning to Sweden -- yes, the Islanders added Vitek Vanecek as we wait and see about Semyon Varlamov -- there's an opportunity for Tikkanen.
Tikkanen went 17-9-1, with a 2.65 GAA and an .897 SV% in 29 games for Bridgeport in 2025-26.
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