Russell’s Roundup: 2025 Draft Picks Signing; Latest Trade Buzz

It’s officially the dead of summer. Make no mistake, things are still fizzling in the NHL, but things are closer to a simmer than a boil. If you drive about 400 miles west from Long Island, you’ll hit Pittsburgh. There’s the home of essentially the entirety of major trade talk right now. You want Erik Karlsson? Talk to Kyle Dubas, Pittsburgh’s General Manager. You want Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell? Dubas is ready to speak with you on line two.

As for the New York Islanders, things remain mostly quiet. Work continues on a Maxim Tsyplakov extension, with arbitration looming.

Today at 1 p.m., the NHL releases its complete 2025-26 schedule. That’s something to look forward to.

New York Islanders:

The first 2025 draft pick to sign his entry-level contract might come as a surprise. No, it’s not Matthew Schaefer. Victor Eklund, the 16th overall selection, signed on. What shocked me the most was that he DocuSigned it, with his finger on an iPad! No ink necessary, despite my headline.

Elsewhere in the Islanders’ world, the team holds two 2026 first-round picks. While the team may not want to think about the 2026 Draft this far out, it’s something to keep an eye on. Here’s one special player to watch.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now:

Sportsnet: Trade boards have gone mostly quiet at this point. Rumors continue to percolate, especially with so many players allegedly earmarked for moves. The latest from Nick Kypreos gets dominated by possible Pittsburgh Penguins trades. Also included are studs Jason Robertson and Jordan Kyrou, two names to keep an eye on.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Now, the allure of tanking for Gavin McKenna is extremely strong. Doubly so for the Penguins, who are selling everyone good while Penn State becomes Gavin McKenna’s new home. Even so, a path of tanking provides a narrow chance of success.

TSN: For all the very funny, very real, and utterly bizarre occurrences in Islanders history, one thing always avoided them: the emergency backup goaltender. Affectionately known as the EBUG, it’s no more. Gone are the days of David Ayres. It’s all in the new CBA.

Chicago Hockey Now: The continued march of signed ELCs continued, with multiple first-rounders signing deals aside from Eklund. Most notably, Anton Frondell signed his deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Montreal Hockey Now: The new home of Noah Dobson will be a wildly different room than the one he got used to in New York. Dobson goes from one of the oldest, most respected veteran rooms in the game to the absolute youngest room in hockey.