NYHN Daily: Chara Back with Islanders, Palmieri Question & More

A career comes full circle as former New York Islander, Zdeno Chara, signs back with the team that drafted him in the 1996 NHL Draft. Is Kyle Palmieri an upgrade for Jordan Eberle or a substitute?

These stories and more in today’s daily links!

Zdeno Chara is going back to where it all started. The veteran defenseman signed a 1-year deal with the New York Islanders on Saturday morning. It had been unclear if Chara would return for his 24th NHL season or if he would hang up his skates. Chara was drafted by the Islanders 56th overall in 1996 and played 231 games with the franchise before he was traded by then-general manager Mike Milbury in 2001 as part of a deal to acquire Alexei Yashin from the Ottawa Senators. (NYI Hockey Now)

The New York Islanders lost a top-line forward when Jordan Eberle was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft, but who could take his spot come the start of the season? Oliver Wahlstrom is the name that comes to everyone’s mind, but more than likely Kyle Palmieri will get a shot at that spot first. It begs the question of whether or not Palmieri will be an upgrade over Eberle or just a substitute. (NYI Hockey Now)

Zdeno Chara is back with the Islanders 25 years after the organization drafted him and 20 years after he was included in one of Mike Milbury’s more regrettable trades. As the 44-year-old Chara noted Saturday: “You never know how your career will evolve and how it will end up, but obviously nobody can really imagine to be kind of finishing where they start.” Saturday’s one-year deal between Chara and the Islanders seemingly finalizes the team’s roster heading into next week’s training camp. We just tried to answer a few questions about the Isles’ somewhat mysterious offseason and what to look for in camp, so let’s follow up with more thoughts on what Chara’s signing means. (The Athletic)

It’s almost time for another Philadelphia Flyers season and we once again have the same storyline: will Morgan Frost earn a roster spot out of Training Camp? Frost, the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, has shown flashes of upside since his first camp with the Flyers. He has been in the conversation as a potential piece on the Flyers roster for a few years now. (Philly Hockey Now)

Washington Capitals hockey is officially underway at Medstar Capitals Iceplex. Top Capitals prospects, including Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre, took the ice. Also joining the mix: 2021 draft picks Vinnie Iorio and Dru Krebs. A handful of free-agent invitees participated as well. (Washington Hockey Now)

The Detroit Red Wings lost 5-2 to the St. Louis Blues in a chippy,  physical game at the NHL Prospects Tournament Saturday night.  Here are five takeaways from that contest. (Detroit Hockey Now)

The Florida Panthers struggles against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021 continued on Saturday morning in the opener of the Tampa Bay Lightning Prospect Showcase tournament.  Carolina, which beat the Panthers in five of seven meetings this past NHL season, got two goals late in the second period against Spencer Knight to eventually win 3-1. (Florida Hockey Now)

How do you describe the Vegas Golden Knights’ power play from last season? Atrocious? Abominable? Disgraceful? Impotent? Erratic? Obviously, the team needs to rethink its strategy. It also needed to change the personnel. To that end, they traded defenseman Nick Holden to Ottawa for center Evgenii Dadonov, who has a history of success on the power play. (Vegas Hockey Now)

It’s so funny, a weekend that in past seasons has felt like something you somewhat have to get through before training camp officially opens and marks the start of the new NHL season, this year’s Rookie Faceoff was a sight for sore eyes, after skipping it last year due to COVID concerns. And having the ability to watch high-end, professional hockey live in-person is something I have learned not to take for granted. Even still, the Colorado Avalanche prospects didn’t give a ton to be super excited about in their first game of the weekend. (Colorado Hockey Now)

The competition for fourth-line center on the San Jose Sharks is heating up. Last night, Jasper Weatherby centered William Eklund and Ozzy Wiesblatt, the top line in an 8-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in San Jose’s first game of the 2021 Rookie Faceoff Tournament. (San Jose Hockey Now)

The Vancouver Canucks rookie camp continues today (Saturday) but there is no on-hand media coverage outside of the team’s content. Yesterday, the 90-minute session featured group skating instruction, one-on-one puck battles, and then a cross-ice set of two-on-two games. The skill level of 2019 10th-overall pick Vasili Podkolzin was noticeable compared to his fellow campers. (Vancouver Hockey Now)

The Ottawa Senators have signed Logan Brown to a one-year, two-way contract.  The contract carries a value of $750,000 in the NHL and $100,000 in the AHL. (TSN)