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NYHN Daily: Debating Wahlstrom’s Role with Islanders & More

Published

3 years ago

August 5, 2021

The Islanders still remain quiet as Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello works his magic in silence. We have reasons to believe a few players have been signed and the lineup is coming together. With Jordan Eberle gone, is it time to see Oliver Wahlstrom on the top line with Mat Barzal? This story and more in today’s daily links!

The New York Islanders have yet to announce any deals officially, but unofficially their roster is taking shape. Zach Parise, Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac are all rumored to have new deals in the works, but the Islanders still need to fill the gap left by Jordan Eberle on the top line. If Palmieri is indeed brought back then the logical choice would be for him to assume the top-line winger slot, barring any trades or other additions. However, could the opening be the perfect chance to give Oliver Wahlstrom a shot on the wing with Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee? (NYI Hockey Now)

Some Pittsburgh Penguins fans have quietly, or not so quietly, pointed the finger at Penguins goalie coach Mike Buckley for Matt Murray’s regression and some degradation in Tristan Jarry’s game. On Wednesday, the Penguins relieved Buckley of his duties, according to GM Ron Hextall. The team named former Penguins goalie and current goaltending development coach Andy Chiodo as the new goalie coach. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

Get comfy. The Pittsburgh Penguins don’t have any money, not even a little, to continue their offseason changes. That’s not sources speaking or some inside dirt, though sources have confirmed several details to Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Much of the Penguins offseason now appears to hinge on the NHL trade market. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

The Philadelphia Flyers are going to have a different roster, look, and feel to them this coming season. After a season full of blowout losses, embarrassing defeats, and too-little-too-late “comebacks,” Chuck Fletcher shook things up this offseason. Fletcher addressed the Flyers’ biggest needs on the blue line, traded away one of the longest-tenured Flyers, and gave the team a new identity. The Flyers aren’t going to be easy to play against and they won’t be easy to score against either. (Philly Hockey Now)

When Detroit Red Wings prospect William Wallinder was in Plymouth, Michigan for the Junior Showcase tournament recently, he took an Uber to downtown Detroit. “We walked the streets,” Wallinder said “Looked nice, hope to live here.” As a second-round pick (No. 32 in 2020), the Swedish defenseman should be a Michigan resident at some point. (Detroit Hockey Now)

Here is the second in what I hope will be a long, ongoing series of guest columns from subscribers of Colorado Hockey Now. You’re passionate about your team, and I like hearing from you, and reading your thoughts on the team. I call it “The Soapbox.” Today’s guest column is by Karen Cherrett who writes about the feeling of seeing players depart. (Colorado Hockey Now)

Pierre-Luc Dubois will wear No. 80 with the Winnipeg Jets this season to honor former teammate Matiss Kivlenieks, who died July 4. Kivlenieks, a goalie who wore No. 80 for the Columbus Blue Jackets, died in a fireworks accident. He was 24. Dubois played with Kivlenieks on the Blue Jackets for two seasons before the forward was traded to the Jets on Jan. 23 with a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft for forwards Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. (NHL)

Marc-Andre Fleury is ready to continue his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks, and the goalie said he appreciated getting to think about his future after being traded there last week. “There’s a lot that goes into it,” Fleury said Wednesday. “I was very fortunate that [general manager Stan Bowman] gave me some time to reflect on what I wanted to do, what was best for me and my family.” Fleury, acquired in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights for forward prospect Mikael Hakkarainen on July 27, won the Vezina Trophy voted as the best goalie in the NHL for the first time last season. (NHL)

Carey Price’s wife said she strongly believed the goalie was going to be selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. “It definitely got to a point where I thought we were for sure headed to Seattle, so I let myself start mentally preparing for it and even talking about it. Just in case it did happen,” Angela Price wrote in her blog this week. In the post, Angela wrote of her emotions leading up to the expansion draft on July 21, including how Carey waived his no-move clause believing Seattle would not select him because of his knee injury, his contract (five seasons remaining) and his age (34 on Aug. 16). (NHL)

John Tortorella was hired as a studio analyst Wednesday for ESPN’s coverage of the NHL beginning this season. The 63-year-old coached the Columbus Blue Jackets for six seasons until it was announced May 10 that he would not return. His 673 wins in 20 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Blue Jackets are tied with Peter Laviolette for the most by a United States-born coach in NHL history. Tortorella is 673-541-132 with 37 ties in 1,383 regular-season games and 56-64 in 120 Stanley Cup Playoff games. (NHL)

Victor Mete is returning to the Ottawa Senators. The team announced a one-year, $1.2 million deal for the 23-year-old defenceman on Wednesday with the two sides avoiding arbitration. (TSN)

The St. Louis Blues are bringing back restricted free agent forward Zach Sanford with a one-year, $2 million deal. (TSN)

The San Jose Sharks signed goalie Adin Hill to a two-year contract Wednesday that avoids salary arbitration. The Sharks acquired Hill last month in a trade from Arizona and are counting on him to team with James Reimer as their goaltending duo next season. (TSN)

For the past six seasons John Klingberg has given the Stars one of the best bargain contracts in the NHL. An elite, offensive defenseman who drives possession and plays big minutes while counting just $4.25 million against the salary cap. That cap number is 71st among all NHL defensemen. There are not 70 defensemen in the league better than him. (NBC Sports)

The standoff between the Buffalo Sabres and star center Jack Eichel has progressed past the point of usefulness for all involved. It’s degenerated into public discourse for a matter than should have remained internal; now we have a general manager bragging about leverage, and agents sending Notes app missives to local media in response. It’s a played out drama that’s a deterrent to Eichel getting healthy and a detriment to the Sabres’ ability to recoup assets for someone who is likely to never play for them again. (ESPN)