Rosner Wrap: Romanov Stateside, Tkachuk Situation & More

Good morning and happy Tuesday. We are not quite a week into free agency, but the New York Islanders have not announced any moves just yet. But there is Islanders news to discuss as video proof has surfaced that Alexander Romanov is stateside. Calgary Flames and Matthew Tkachuk are going to arbitration, John Tortorella has a message to Philadelphia Flyers fans, and are the Detroit Red Wings ready to turn things around?

These stories and more in today’s Rosner Wrap:

NYI Hockey Now: Last week, Kevin Kurz of the Athletic reported that New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov was no longer in Russia and that he was stateside in Miami, Florida, with his wife. Kevin is great and trusted, so proof to back up his report was not needed. But we now have visual proof via Romanov’s wife, Sofia Krasovskaya.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall has made a handful of moves, moves he believes bolsters his club for 2022-23. We can debate his moves all he wants, but not his guts, writes Dave Molinari.

Philly Hockey Now: Philadelphia Flyers fans have had a rough go of things this offseason. After a tough year, trading away their captain Claude Giroux, then failing to get Johnny Gaudreau, the fan base is not happy with management, as it seems a rebuild is more likely than anything else. Newly appointed head coach John Tortorella spoke with Philly Hockey Now in an exclusive interview and had a message for the fans.

Boston Hockey Now: Newly acquired forward Pavel Zacha has filed for arbitration. There wasn’t much of a surprise that the 6-foot-3, 210-pound center filed for arbitration as that may have been one of the driving forces behind New Jersey looking to deal the 25-year-old pivot coming off 15 goals and 36 points in 70 games last season.

Florida Hockey Now: Before signing with the Florida Panthers last week, Nick Cousins was on the move quite a bit. “I feel like we’re professional movers,” Cousins joked on Monday afternoon. But now that Cousins has signed a two-year deal, there’s a sense of stability there.

Montreal Hockey Now: Late Monday afternoon, the Montreal Canadiens announced that they have signed goalie Samuel Montembeault to a two-year, one-way contract extension. Per Renaud Lavoie, of TVA Sports, the contract will carry a $1M AAV and per our friends at PuckPedia, this now leaves the Montreal Canadiens with $1.2 million in salary cap space.

Washington Hockey Now: After a morning skate, Washington Capitals prospects Hendrix Lapierre and Vincent Iorio head to the locker room side by side, trying to hit the high notes as they harmonize together following a brief chat about music. Håkon Hanelt is waiting by the door, and they share a laugh before he passes by.

Detroit Hockey Now: It’s been six long seasons without playoff action for the Detroit Red Wings. However, several top prospects in the Detroit organization are sensing that championship feeling.

Colorado Hockey Now: It’s been almost a week since free agency opened and Nazem Kadri still has not made a decision regarding where he will play in 2022-23. It seems that the Colorado Avalanche want him back and Kadri wants to be back (Do the New York Islanders want him too?). So what’s the hold up because now the situation is dragging on…

San Jose Hockey Now: Nearly a week into free agency, are the San Jose Sharks done? While San Jose Hockey Now projects a decent amount of cap space left for the Sharks to use on the remaining free agent pool, the roster is pretty full, and there aren’t too many impact UFAs left. What’s the latest on Evander Kane’s grievance?

Calgary Hockey Now: In a somewhat surprising move, the Calgary Flames decided to take Matthew Tkachuk to arbitration. The critical remaining cornerstone of the Flames offense elected not to file for arbitration himself this week because he had a $9-million qualifying offer in front of him – which gave him multiple paths forward.

Vancouver Hockey Now: Someone from the Vancouver Canucks would have said it, you’ve heard it dozens of times over the years from people all over hockey, “you can never have enough goaltending.” The Canucks have a goaltending prospect named Mike DiPietro, but is he a prospect that has a future with the club or a trade chip? Or both?