Slapshots: Isles Re-Sign Two; Hutton’s Status, & the Latest on Long Island

The 2025 NHL Free Agency window opens in less than 48 hours. Across the league, small tremors are being felt. More than one team across the league signed pending free agents, restricted and unrestricted, to new contracts.

Signings:

The New York Islanders are one of them. The Islanders re-signed forwards Liam Foudy and Julien Gauthier to one-year, two-way contracts. Both players are former first-round picks.

Gauthier, 27, played one game for the NHL squad before getting waived and demoted to Bridgeport. He scored three goals and totalled eight points in nine games last season with Bridgeport. Then, Gauthier suffered a season-ending injury on November 24, a loss for the forward group that Bridgeport could not recover from.

Gauthier fits the theme of Islanders’ GM Mathieu Darche. A lightning-fast skater who works hard on the ice. He will once again push for a roster spot out of training camp come September.

Foudy, 23, scored 20 goals and 45 points in 70 games last season with Bridgeport. He finished top three in Bridgeport for goals, assists, and points. Foudy also appeared in two NHL games, recording no points.

Like Gauthier, Foudy is an incredibly fast skater. Foudy also brings tremendous skill to the table, something he’s still working to blend with the necessary physicality for the NHL. He, like Gauthier, could push for a final roster spot come September.

Development Camp:

Tomorrow morning, the Islanders will hold their first summer development camp since Lou Lamoriello took over in 2018.

Featuring multiple open practices, it’s a great opportunity to showcase the team’s top prospects in front of the fans. All three first-round picks from the 2025 NHL Draft are confirmed for camp, while the rest of the class is expected to be there as well.

The Islanders released a small list of other confirmed attendees: Cole Eiserman, Quinn Finley, Isaiah George, Danny Nelson, and Calum Ritchie.  I’d expect to see Jesse Nurmi, Kamil Bednarik, and Jesse Pulkkinen, to name a few, as well. Swedish goaltender Marcus Gidlof is also expected to attend.

It’ll be an excellent showcase of all the Islanders’ top prospects after refilling the cupboard to new heights.

A Word on Grant Hutton’s Status:

I thought it was very interesting that both Foudy and Gauthier re-signed. It seemed a good bet for at least one to stick around, but both didn’t feel as likely. While Rocky Thompson specifically mentioned conversations with Chris Terry, he did not mention Brian Pinho or Cole Bardreau. All three are UFAs, but Terry seems the likeliest of all to return. Pinho, an AHL All-Star, makes a ton of sense to bring back as well.

On the back end, mum’s the word on Grant Hutton. The sides remain in talks ahead of Tuesday’s free agency. That’s when Hutton, 29, will become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his professional career.

On May 2, Hutton told me his number one choice was to remain with the Islanders.

Hutton was an undrafted college free agent after captaining Miami (Ohio). He signed with New York at the end of the 2018-19 season. He gained a letter for Bridgeport this season and is a true leader down there. Hutton only played 29 AHL games, thanks to multiple call-ups and a late-season injury that took away almost the entirety of his final two months of the year.

During those call-ups, he played 13 NHL games and showed well for himself as a quality depth option. With a dearth of right-handed options organization-wide, I’d be rather surprised if he truly walks on Tuesday.

News, Notes, and Things to Watch For:

I’d expect a formal announcement on the Bridgeport assistant coaches tomorrow morning. It’s been three straight weeks of organization hires formally getting announced on a Monday. Expect that to continue.

Darche reportedly plans to qualify all of his RFAs, according to Stefen Rosner. That would include both Scott Perunovich and Samuel Bolduc, two players who were the biggest candidates to be left unqualified.

Alexander Romanov’s contract extension remains close. It may not have been finalized just yet, but if Elliotte Friedman reports that it’s close, you can take it to the bank. From around the industry, I heard that my 6x$6 projection from this morning makes a lot of sense. If you didn’t read how I got those numbers, take a look back at this morning.

Tomorrow could be a very, very day in the NHL. If the Islanders are going to re-sign any of Tony DeAngelo, Hutton, Hudson Fasching, or Mike Reilly, odds are that’ll come tomorrow.