Stefen Rosner on 'Running It Back' We are approaching one week since the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/new-york-islanders-lou-lamoriello-horvat-barzal-engvall-romanov] brought back all of their big-name unrestricted free agents. After making a few depth signings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/new-york-islanders-gauthier-kulhman-pinho-parise-wahlstrom-clutterbuck] on Wednesday, the Islanders are completely out of salary-cap space when factoring in Oliver Wahlstrom's next contract. The Islanders continued to be in on 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] through this past weekend and earlier this week, but it's been reported that the Detroit Red Wings seem like the landing spot for the Michigan native. The key word there is "seems," as if all signs point to Detroit, who just terminated the contract of Filip Zadina to create cap space, why is this trade not completed yet? Anyway, you guys had a lot on your mind, so let's get to it, shall we? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With the current roster (assuming we re-sign Wahlstrom and Parise retires), how do you think the lines shake out? @HudsonFasching [https://twitter.com/HudsonFasching] Anders Lee -- Bo Horvat -- Mathew Barzal Pierre Engvall -- Brock Nelson -- Kyle Palmieri Hudson Fasching -- JG Pageau -- Oliver Wahlstrom Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck/Julien Gauthier Ex: Simon Holmstrom Where do you see Gauthier fitting in the lineup come next season? (Assuming he makes the opening night lineup out of camp) @cbentivenga1472 [https://twitter.com/cbentivenga1472] Despite standing at six-foot-four and weighing 224 pounds, Julien Gauthier has raw speed, something the Islanders clearly liked about his game. Gauthier would fit in a few places, and I think he makes the team out of camp, possibly as an everyday player but at the very least the 13th forward. Depending on potential moves the Islanders make before the start of the season, we could very well see Gauthier in Cal Clutterbuck's spot alongside Casey Cizikas on the fourth line. We could also see him skate alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau on the third line. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If a puck-moving defenseman is out of the picture and Lou is shopping for a top 6 goal scorer, who could he get that would fit with the team (assuming DeBrincat is out of the picture)? @C__Raptors [https://twitter.com/C__Raptors] A puck-moving defenseman is not necessarily out of the picture, as Lamoriello made it clear that there is a hole on the left side. However, there are forward options still out there that could be of interest. William Nylander, TOR: Asking price on an extension, per Chris Johnson, is $10 million annually, so the Leafs may have no choice but to move him or risk losing him for nothing next off-season (which they will not do). In terms of the asking price, let's see what DeBrincat gets. But he is a player that the Islanders should be on, especially if the Leafs are looking for NHL, playoff-style veterans like Jean-Gabriel Pageau. All their signings so far this off-season have pointed to that. Travis Konecy, PHI: Albeit a division rival, Konecny is a goal scorer, fresh off a career-high 30 goals. However, per Pierre LeBrun, it looks like new general manager Danny Briere will keep his 26-year-old winger despite rebuilding the roster. "They would need to be blown away," is what LeBrun said, and the Islanders don't really have the prospect pool to blow away a rebuilding squad. Konecny has two years left at $5.5 million annually. Adam Henrique, ANA: Henrique may be on the other side of 30, but he is still good for around 20 goals a season and around 40 points. There were talks that the Ducks were looking to move Henrique as the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline approached, but an injury ended those discussions. Henrique has one year left on his deal, worth $5.825 million, but also has a modified no-trade clause (10-team no-trade list). It would likely take a pick and a prospect to get this done, but I'm not sold Anaheim wants to move their veteran leader right now. They may wait until the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline with Henrique on an expiring deal. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is a full season of Horvat and Engvall enough of an improvement to make the playoffs in an increasingly difficult conference? @ZxNota [https://twitter.com/ZxNota] It really should be. Bo Horvat was the Islanders' "off-season" signing even before the off-season began. Yes, he struggled mightily without Mat Barzal, and he'll tell you he didn't live up to his standards in his first taste of Long Island. But Horvat is too skilled not to bounce back, and now with Barzal by his side for a full season, the duo should do damage. The Islanders clearly see the importance of Pierre Engvall, inking him to a seven-year extension on July 1. He was the finishing piece to what became the Islanders' best line, even through the postseason. If Engvall, alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, could be as good or close to what we saw this past season, the Islanders should be pretty consistent offensively with their top-two lines. However, the Islanders will need depth scoring and more contributions from the backend, but I think they have the offense to stay relevant in a tough Eastern Conference. The question is, does the defense bounce back as a whole? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who takes a run at developing Filip Zadina? Are the Isles a candidate for this kind of thing if they miss out on guys like DeBrincat? @jonwarman [https://twitter.com/jonwarman] Given Filip Zadina's cap hit with the Red Wings and his struggles, it made little to no sense for a team to trade assets for a guy making $1.825 million each of the next two seasons. However, now that his contract has been terminated, many teams should be looking to bring him in at a low cost. It's just a low-risk, tremendous upside move, and the Islanders should certainly do so...that is, if they create some more cap space, they have none right now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why are we so caught up on getting Debrincat when we can just sign Wahlstrom to rip one-timers from the same spot for $6M less per year @goIfyTM [https://twitter.com/goIfyTM] Oliver Wahlstrom certainly has the shot to be an NHL sniper, but he just hasn't been able to be consistent enough at the NHL level. Even in his 25 games alongside Barzal this past season, he struggled to provide consistency, and right now is a real question mark regarding his role with the organization. Could he be a 30-goal scorer, top-six forward? Or is he more of a bottom-six forward with offensive upside? There's no question what DeBrincat is, as he's a top-six forward who does bring consistent offense (40-goal scorer twice) but also has playmaking ability. The two players aren't comparable, and if the assets are there to get DeBrincat (and he's willing to sign long-term immediately), there should be no real hesitation to bring him in, even if that means Wahlstrom is headed the other way. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What are the chances we see Dufour getting another crack with the big club this season? @gnaw6 [https://twitter.com/gnaw6] Well, that will be up to William Dufour. His one game at the NHL level was just the mismanagement of an asset who was far from ready for the big stage, especially against the juggernaut Boston Bruins. However, he did have a strong first season in Bridgeport, with 21 goals and 27 assists. The only way he will get a crack this upcoming season is if he shows at any point, whether it be at training camp or during the first half of the season in Bridgeport, that he can get his quickness up (it takes a few strides for him to get going) and that he can be shifty. If not, he will have difficulty keeping up at the NHL level. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Does Lou really care about the AHL Baby Isles standings? @solaraguy11 [https://twitter.com/solaraguy11] No, and he shouldn't. Lamoriello cares about the growth of his prospects, but if a player is needed from Bridgeport, there's no thought about where the AHL team is in the standings. We just saw it this past 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].
