New York Islanders Free Agency Primer: Names to Watch

It’s finally July 1, folks. The Free Agent Frenzy gets underway today at noon. However, most of the big names are already off the market as the Vegas Golden Knights executed a sign-and-trade for Mitch Marner. After that, the Florida Panthers signed Brad Marchand to a six-year contract until he’s 43 years young, along with retaining Aaron Ekblad. Oh, and if that’s not enough, the middle-tier got undercut after the LA Kings kept Andrei Kuzmenko while the Detroit Red Wings signed Patrick Kane.

So, what’s left? Essentially nothing. The Islanders hold $14.69 million in cap space, but projections indicate just over half of that will be spent on Simon Holmstrom, Maxim Tsyplakov, and Emil Heineman.

In The Athletic’s top 100 free agents, the top five look like this: Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser, Vladislav Gavrikov (who, reportedly, has a handshake deal with the New York Rangers), Mikael Granlund, and Jake Allen.

That’s not the most star-studded top five. With the bidding likely to become astronomical for Ehlers and Boeser, the Islanders will likely find themselves on the sidelines.

But who could they target?

Positions of Need:

Right-Shot Defensemen: The New York Islanders have three right-shot defensemen left under contract. Grant Hutton will test the market at noon, while it’s possible Tony DeAngelo could be close behind him on the way out. That leaves the entire organization with just Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, & Adam Boqvist on the right side.

The Islanders need depth at that position. While Boqvist has proven he’s more than capable of running a power play, it’s risky to trust it all on him. There’s also the Matthew Schaefer angle. If Schaefer makes the team, he will have a clear chance to run the first power-play unit. The issue is, the entirety of this free-agent market is threadbare. Of the top 100 free agents, The Athletic only lists nine right-shot defensemen.

For Bridgeport, there’s no shortage of left-shot defensemen. They may be comfortable teaching some youngsters to play on their off side.

Top-Six Winger: As the old saying goes, water is wet. The Islanders always need more top-flight winger help. While I expect the Islanders to try and pursue Boeser and/or Ehlers, I don’t expect either to land on Long Island.

Their options could be limited to risky options or the trade market.

RD FA Targets:

There are some names to keep track of this July 1. After all, the Islanders have to do something. Here are some names to keep an eye on:

Nick Perbix: Perbix is a 27-year-old right-shot defenseman who just finished his third NHL season. He scored six goals and 19 points for the Tampa Bay Lightning, where Islanders’ GM Mathieu Darche came from. He makes a lot of sense as a potential add to compete for bottom-pair time with Adam Boqvist. He’s a steady player, but his speed won’t blow you away.

Jacob Bernard-Docker: Bernard-Docker is a former first-round pick set to become a UFA for the first time in his career. He’s 25, but the Buffalo Sabres opted not to retain him. The Athletic summed him up like this: “Bernard-Docker is a mobile, right-shot defenseman who plays an all-around game. He’s got decent size and may have some room to grow on the offensive side of the puck.”

Right away, you can see why he’d be a stylistic fit.

Ethan Bear: Bear is an ideal target for Bridgeport. He finished the year in AHL Hershey, but has proven that he can fill a gap in an NHL roster if necessary.

Winger FA Targets:

While I stated above that the Islanders will likely try to be in on Ehlers and Boeser, it feels unlikely either will land on Long Island. They’re worth keeping an eye on, and maybe Darche pulls a shocker and lands one of the two bona fide top-six scoring wingers.

Onto the other options, it’s a lot of dart throwing.

Jonathan Drouin: The 30-year-old winger played consistent top-six minutes for the Colorado Avalanche for the last two seasons. He scored at a clip of 0.76 points per game, but that was with Nathan MacKinnon. He could receive a big-time contract for a guy who remains a bit of a hot-and-cold type of talent.

Andrew Mangiapane: Like Drouin, he had a bit of a resurgence in recent times. Even so, he’s a major question mark when it comes to serious production. The Islanders could target him, but is he really an upgrade over Anthony Duclair or Kyle Palmieri for the top six?

Watch for Trades:

This is where the Islanders could become more active. Dougie Hamilton could be had from the New Jersey Devils. Erik Karlsson is discounted so low, if the Islanders send a couple of bad contracts Pittsburgh’s way along with a mid-round pick, it could work.

For winger help, there remain grumbles about Jason Robertson, but it feels unlikely. Jordan Kyrou had his name floated, but at midnight today, his No-Trade Clause went into effect.

All in all, today could be rather quiet on Long Island, which isn’t a bad thing. Forcing trades or bad contracts usually never ends well.