The NHL has been buzzing with activity in recent weeks, with the exception of New Yorkers who haven’t made any moves in the free agency.
The New York Islanders finished the 2021/22 season with 16 points Outside the wild card spot At the Eastern Conference, the belief was that the team would make a concerted effort to improve its roster.
So far, very little has happened in this regard. The biggest noteworthy move so far is the early trade in July which saw the Isles get defensive man Alexander Romanov and a fourth in exchange for the number one player this year.
What surprises many, however, is the fact that the team hasn’t taken any steps since the draft, as the free agency has been open for about a month at the time of writing and no new faces have been announced by the team.
New York Islands State in Free Agency
There were reports That islanders were in the Nazim Qadri lottery, trying to bring the Stanley Cup champions to Long Island before opting to sign with the Calgary Flames last week.
However, outside of this, there was a deafening silence from the team as it watched the available top players find new homes, leaving a group of veterans likely looking for their last chances to continue playing in the NHL – including the likes of Phil Kessel, PK Subban and Paul Stats.
However, there are other more interesting free agents, including Zach Ashton-Reese and Sonny Milano, both of whom could have a positive impact on a team like the Islanders, who have one of the oldest offensive combinations in the entire league.
Not every team feels the need to add during the free agency, but the islanders have three of their own restricted free agents who haven’t yet signed new deals—including Noah Dobson, Kiefer Bellows, and the aforementioned Romanoff.
Dobson is particularly surprising, with the 22-year-old expected to be a key part of the team for the foreseeable future after scoring an impressive 51 points (13 goals, 38 assists) in 80 games this past season.
Romanoff is also a surprising position given how clearly he was seen by hockey operations chief and general manager Lou Lamoreello, who gave up a rather high pick in the first round (13th overall) to get it from the Montreal Canadiens.
There is a conspiracy circulating across social media and even in some public outlets that there is a general belief that Lamoreello, who is notorious for hiding things, has in fact agreed to deal with all of his existing free agents and may even have added some new faces to the squad – just to not advertise. publicly about anything.
This would play right into Lamoriello’s MO, but it would be a totally surprising move when it’s clear that the fan base is in desperate need of some positive news after a disappointing season and a long off season with very little news.
There will come a time when the news will have to be shared publicly, like during training camp where it will be impossible to hide any new faces if any, but fans deserve to know what’s going on with the team and some form of news needs soon.
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