Islanders Off-Season Review: July and August

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Labor Day Weekend is over. Schools are back in session, and the Islanders play a pre-season game in less than three weeks. As the summer has flown by, the Islanders made some moves. The previous article covered the lead-up to free agency and the setup for July 1. Today, we’ll catch everyone up to speed on just what the Islanders did, and how it sets them up for training camp.

July 1:

After firing Doug Houda, the Islanders hired Tommy Albelin to replace Houda. Albelin, 60, had been coaching in Switzerland as part of their national team staff.

He brings prior experience working for Lou Lamoriello with the New Jersey Devils starting in 2007. He’s got a strong reputation for coaching up defense, and that’s where he can help the staff the most.

He joins Patrick Roy’s staff along with John MacLean and Benoit Desrosiers, who Roy and Lou added midway through the season.

That was the early morning news of July 1. The Islanders then made a pair of contracts official.

The first of which was extending Mike Reilly to a new one-year contract. Reilly performed admirably after arriving via waivers, immediately seizing the available roster spot after Sebastian Aho and Samuel Bolduc struggled mightily.

Reilly, 31, scored six goals and added 24 points over 59 games with the Islanders. The biggest thing he added was puck mobility, something the Islanders haven’t had on the left side since Nick Leddy departed the team three summers ago.

Reilly isn’t guaranteed more than this year, especially with the Islanders still having hope that Bolduc will eventually emerge as an everyday defenseman. Still, Reilly runs the third pair spot on the left for now.

Then, the Islanders made their biggest news of the summer. At least, the big news around these parts. Anthony Duclair signed a four-year, $14 million contract. Duclair, 29, scored 24 goals and 42 points over 73 games, though 56 of those came with the absolutely dreadful San Jose Sharks.

Duclair scored 30 goals in a previous season when he potted 31 with the Panthers in 2021-22. He’s a consistent 20+ goalscorer, something the Islanders have desperately needed. He also plays with a strong pace, something the Islanders hope will gel with Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat.

Duclair will be on the Islanders’ top line, and they hope he can be the answer long-term for the spot.

Post July 1:

This left the Islanders with their two RFAs, Simon Holmstrom and Oliver Wahlstrom.

Holmstrom signed his deal officially on July 16th, a one-year deal that narrowly eclipsed his qualifying offer. He had a career year to date, scoring 15 goals and 25 points, all while undeniably struggling with inconsistency later in the year.

Holmstrom has pretty strong defensive analytics and looks to be a key part of the Islanders’ middle six for a long time to come. It would be perfect for the Islanders if he could consistently add 15-20 goals while playing on a shutdown third line.

That left the Islanders with virtually no cap space, and Wahlstrom remained unsigned. Surely, the inevitable summer trade of Wahlstrom seemed inevitable.

Then, news broke that he and the Islanders avoided arbitration, settling on a new one-year deal worth $1 million. Wahlstrom, 24, struggled. The sniper scored just two goals this past year.

He was iced out after stretches of playing under both Roy and Lane Lambert. It seemed likely he would depart the organization this summer, but with less than two weeks until training camp, the likelihood of a move continues to dwindle.

Today:

That’s it. It’s been a relatively quiet summer, with the Islanders assuredly being overlooked. Meanwhile, the Capitals made a lot of desperate moves, hoping they all stick. The Penguins sure did some things, but it’d be difficult to say they improved. The Rangers remained the same. The Devils got much better. The Hurricanes look worse. The Flyers and Blue Jackets project at the bottom of the division, but if last year is any indication, do not count Philly out for a second.

The Islanders are content with being overlooked again. That’s where the organization has thrived, after all. Decisions looming over Maxim Tsyplakov’s fight for a roster spot against the existing roster start soon. He’s up against the roster, all armed with one-way deals. Lou Lamoriello is betting on his acquisitions, solving the inconsistent regular seasons, and comfortably getting the Islanders into the playoffs this year.

Time will tell the story of the 2024-25 Islanders.