Stefen Rosner on 'Running It Back' On Wednesday afternoon, the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/new-york-islanders-lou-lamoriello-gauthier-kuhlman-pinho-staff] came to terms with forwards Julian Gauthier, Carson Kuhlman, and Brian Pinho. READ MORE: Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello Keeps Busy After Holiday; Signs Gauthier, Kuhlman & Pinho [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/new-york-islanders-lou-lamoriello-gauthier-kuhlman-pinho-staff] With these moves, depending on which site you look on, the Islanders are out of salary cap space. Puckpedia [https://puckpedia.com/team/new-york-islanders] is counting Gauthier and Kuhlman's contract against the salary cap, as well as Simon Holmstrom's, meaning the Islanders have one too many players on their roster and are over the salary cap by $475,834. That's before restricted free agent Oliver Wahlstrom [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/oliver-wahlstrom-new-york-islanders-knee-injury-season-ending-training-camp] agrees to his contract before the 5 PM ET on July 15, but we will get to Wahlstrom in a minute. Teams can go 10 percent over the cap ($8.35 million over) as long as they are cap compliant come Game 1 of the regular season (Oct. 14 for Islanders). Before we dive into what these signings could mean, regarding other moves that Lamoriello could have up his sleeves, let's discuss the importance of the signings from a macro level. Last season, the Islanders had six players make their NHL debuts, two of which are no longer with the club: Aatu Räty (Vancouver) and Parker Wotherspoon (Boston). The other three players were Simon Holmstrom [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/islanders-simon-holmstrom-goes-1-on-1-i-have-more-to-give], Arnaud Durandeau, William Dufour, and Samuel Bolduc. One could look at the Islanders call-ups this past season as giving opportunities for prospects to show their worth. However, the Islanders had no choice but to rely on rookies due to the countless injuries because they didn't have NHL-ready depth waiting in the minors. That changes with these moves. Now Gauthier's contract is a one-way deal, which doesn't mean he will make the roster out of camp, but he should. Kuhlman will likely serve as the Islanders' No. 5 center, a role that Otto Koivula, Andy Andreoff, and Cole Bardreau filled a season ago. And Pinho is just another depth forward to have in the minors if need be. Now, let's explore the interesting stuff surrounding these moves and what they could mean. PARISE RETIRING Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk5MTUyODQxOTQyNjQwNDAx/isles-67.jpg] I've been pretty consistent in my unwillingness to dive into Zach Parise [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/new-york-islanders-zach-parise-undecided-about-future-teammates-react] and his career going forward. If he is retiring, that's something that he and he alone should be announcing. However, the signing of Julien Gauthier [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/new-york-islanders-lou-lamoriello-gauthier-kuhlman-pinho-staff], to me, means that Parise is likely not coming back, or Lamoriello brought him in as a backup plan in case Parise calls it a career. Although Parise is a left winger and Gauthier plays the right side, he would be replacing a forward spot, not the exact position. One would think that Holmstrom and Hudson Fasching [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/hudson-fasching-new-york-islanders-lane-lambert-siblings-cooper-mallory] will battle for the left-wing spot on the third line in Parise's absence. Despite being right-handed, Fasching is versatile enough to play his weak side. One would think that Gauthier and Wahlstrom will go to war for the third right-wing position. THE BREAKING UP OF THE FOURTH LINE Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk5MTUyODUxNjA2MzE3MDEy/isles-15.jpg] There hasn't been much discussion surrounding the Islanders' fourth line since Lamoriello met with the media following the season. When asked about his identity line, he spoke about needing men in the postseason. "I look at the fourth line that we have, two who have one more year left. Casey (Cizikas) has a couple of years, but they know how to play," Lamoriello said. "And in the playoffs, they chipped into some extremely important goals. And the style that they play -- and going back to the question about the playoffs that are on now -- if anybody watched the game last night, that's men playing. "You need men when it gets to this time of the year. And I'll take men any day of the week." To me, that means the fourth line is coming back, and when we spoke to Matt Martin and specifically Cal Clutterbuck -- who was in and out of the lineup with various injuries this past season -- he said he was planning on returning. So, it might be a long shot that Lamoriello breaks up a fourth line given his words, but actions speak louder. With how well Fasching played alongside Casey Cizikas in their limited time together, it wouldn't be a shock if Fasching replaced Clutterbuck on the fourth line. Clutterbuck won't be bought out, with the Islanders having no way to open a second buyout window (no players arbitration eligible). He has one year left at $1.75 million but has no clauses attached to his contract, so the Islanders could move him. What's more likely than seeing Clutterbuck heading elsewhere is the waiving of Ross Johnston, who was passed on the totem pole often in 2022-23. If Johnston clears waivers and heads to Bridgeport or gets claimed, the Islanders would create $1.1 million in cap space, which would be integral in a flat-cap world. If deemed not an everyday player for New York, Clutterbuck could serve as the 13th forward. There's no reason to believe Martin is going anywhere after a career offensive season and, more importantly, a healthy one. The same can be said regarding Cizikas, as he has four years left and much more in the tank compared to his linemates. TRADE ON THE HORIZON Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk5MTUyNjY0MjM4MzY4NzI0/usatsi_19469797-1.jpg] This portion of the program is not here to get Islanders fans' hopes up that a trade is imminent, whether it be for Ottawa Senators forward Alex DeBrincat [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/alex-debrincat-new-york-islanders-hockey-night-in-new-york-steve-warne-ottawa-senators] or, dare I say, Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander. But, from a cap perspective, there has to be another move coming to be compliant. Even if Johnston is waived, the Islanders would still have a cap issue as Wahlstrom's RFA deal could be as high as $1.1 million annually. Does Wahlstrom hold enough value to be a key factor in a trade for either a top-six winger or a puck-moving defenseman? Wahlstrom is coming off an ACL injury which may scare some teams away, but at 23, the young sniper who is already back on the ice could be a sweetener to get the Islanders over a finish line, addressing a need. For the fans that wanted to see Wahlstrom with Bo Horvat [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/bo-horvat-new-york-islanders-vancouver-canucks-trade-lamoriello] and Mathew Barzal [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/mathew-barzal-new-york-islanders-postseason-horvat-wahlstrom], it's not a likely outcome. Wahlstrom just took strides this past season, playing a 200-foot game, so switching him to his off-side, in part to get back into game shape, may be overwhelming. Now, Barzal could play on his off-wing, which changes everything, but I think Wahlstrom would be better suited as a bottom-six forward to start the 2023-24 season. Whether it's a player being placed on waivers, a cap-dumping type of trade, or a blockbuster deal, the Islanders will make at least one more move ahead of next season. You can listen and watch Stefen Rosner [https://twitter.com/stefen_rosner] talk New York Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYN7JIgdHnM&t=956s] with co-host Sean Cuthbert [https://twitter.com/seanyhockey].
