On Tuesday, the New York Islanders [http://thn.com/isles] announced that they signed winger Johnathan Drouin to a two-year, $4M AAV contract. Drouin, 30, tallied 11 goals with 26 assists for 37 points in 43 games with the Colorado Avalanche last season. Drouin dealt with multiple injuries last year, which limited him to half a season. The left winger remade himself into a top-six piece with Colorado over the last two years after inconsistency with the Montreal Canadiens. Drouin fills a hole within the Islanders’ left wing corps, as the team lacked consistent production from Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov in the middle six. General manager Mathieu Darche targeted the positional need after signing depth options in goaltender David Rittich and defenseman Ethan Bear. The move leaves the Islanders with around $7M in cap space, which will likely be used to sign restricted free agents Simon Holmstrom, Emil Heineman, Marc Gatcomb, and Tsyplakov. Barring other moves, the Islanders’ free agency additions look to be done. PHOTO: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images Kail Russell [https://x.com/KaiRussellTHN]contributed to this story.
