Islanders Sign Goaltender, RD Depth Early on July 1

The New York Islanders wasted little time in addressing two main areas of concern entering July 1.

First, the team inked goaltender David Rittich to a one-year deal worth $1 million, but those terms have yet to be fully disclosed.

Rittich, 32, provides much-needed depth in the event Semyon Varlamov is not ready for the start of the season, if at all. Marcus Hogberg returns, but his inconsistency could not be fully trusted as a full-time backup goaltender.

If Varlamov, who underwent surgery this past season, is not ready for October, Rittich will be Ilya Sorokin’s backup. In the event Varlamov’s healthy, it’s likely that Rittich will simply be waived and help in Bridgeport or be plucked off the wire.

Rittich posted a 16-14-2 record last season with the LA Kings, along with a 2.84 GAA but a paltry .886 SV%. His underlying numbers took a beating, but in 2023-24, he was one of the most underrated goalies in the NHL. For a backup, he’s more than serviceable.

RD Signing:

The other official UFA signing today comes in the form of Ethan Bear. Bear signed a one-year, league-minimum deal.

Bear, 28, bounced around the NHL after departing the Edmonton Oilers. Last season, he played for the Hershey Bears, potting 10 goals and 46 points in 62 games.

This was honestly the best possible RD signing, Islanders’ GM Mathieu Darche could have made. The deal is a two-way deal. Whether or not Bear plays in the NHL or not does not affect his effectiveness, like signing a Jacob Bernard-Docker could’ve done.

Bear also played in the WHL with Mathew Barzal.

The two signings made by Darche filled some much-needed depth. It’s not likely the Islanders are done for the day, and they’re firmly in the mix for Maxim Shabanov. It will either be them or the Philadelphia Flyers.