NYHN Daily: Islanders Sign Four Players, Parise Waiting for Filing & More

The Islanders made some news on Wednesday, even though to the parties involved it was very old news. Lou Lamoriello had contracts for Casey Cizikas (six years, $2.5 million per year), Kyle Palmieri (four years, $5 million), Anthony Beauvillier (three years, $4.15 million), and Ilya Sorokin (three years, $4 million) on hold for weeks before the team announced the signings and filed the contracts with the league. Why now? And what about the other rumored signings? Lamoriello didn’t speak to reporters on Wednesday, so we’ll get into the possibilities below as we have some thoughts on actual, concrete Islander roster info three weeks out from training camp. (The Athletic)

J.P. Parise was 34 when the Minnesota North Stars, believing their former All-Star’s best days were behind him, traded him to the Islanders in 1975. But Hall of Famer Denis Potvin can vouch for how valuable Parise was to the team over parts of the four seasons he played on Long Island. Potvin predicts a similar scenario for his late teammate’s 37-year-old son, Zach, bought out of the final four seasons of his 13-year, $98 million deal with the Minnesota Wild on July 13 and reportedly headed to the Islanders.  (Newsday)

A couple of former Pittsburgh Penguins put their pen to paper ahead of the Labor Day weekend to appear in training camps or get an NHL deal. And at least one of the players will require a trigger warning for Penguins fans. According to Colorado Hockey Now, former Penguins defenseman and Penguins Twitter villain Jack Johnson signed a PTO to appear in the Colorado Avalanche training camp. Johnson will be on the Penguins payroll until 2026 after the team bought out Johnson last fall. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

The Philadelphia Flyers were left in a bind when Matt Niskanen unexpectedly retired after last season. On October 5th, 2020, Niskanen announced that he was retiring from the NHL. Well, technically retiring. Niskanen never filed retirement paperwork after announcing that he was retiring. He still had one year left on his contract, so he was suspended without pay for cap management purposes. There was some speculation that Niskanen could return to play, but that isn’t the case. (Philly Hockey Now)

The Detroit Red Wings look to take another step forward in what seems to be a strong rebuild under the leadership of general manager Steve Yzerman. Here are five “Way too early” predictions for the Red Wings in 2021-22. (Detroit Hockey Now)

Breaking news: Veteran defenseman Jack Johnson, the third pick overall in the 2005 NHL draft and with 950 games of NHL experience, has agreed to a Professional Tryout (PTO) contract with the Avalanche. Johnson is 34 years old and played only 13 games with the New York Rangers last season. He has also played with Los Angeles, Columbus, and Pittsburgh. While Johnson’s career hasn’t achieved the heights projected as a lottery draft pick, he has had two seasons of 40 points or more. (Colorado Hockey Now)

What is the latest regarding contract negotiations with impending UFA Tomas Hertl and the San Jose Sharks? Which Sharks are on the hot seat? In an interview with Le Journal de Quebec, Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic believes if they fail to make the postseason for a third-straight campaign, then the team will be broken up. He also gives his take on the Evander Kane fiasco. (San Jose Hockey Now)

There’s one interesting hook when asking whether or not Vancouver Canucks fans would root for Team USA men’s hockey at the Winter Olympics and that of course is the fact that as many as four Vancouver Canucks could be playing for the Americans. That was part of the poll question. The context was interesting as well, in that the 24-hour poll was conducted leading up to a head-to-head match-up between the two countries, Canada and USA, in the Womens World Championship Gold Medal game. While the Team USA women lost that game 3-2 in overtime, the Team USA men generally won the poll. That despite the fact that the number-one poll option went against them. (Vancouver Hockey Now)

Colton Parayko agreed to an eight-year, $52 million contract extension with the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. It will begin with the 2022-23 season and has an average annual value of $6.5 million. The 28-year-old defenseman has one season remaining on the five-year, $27.5 million contract ($5.5 million AAV) he signed with the Blues on July 20, 2017. “I can’t wait to wear the Blue Note for another nine years,” Parayko said. “St. Louis has been my home now for six seasons, and this is where I want to be. All the relationships I’ve gained, the teammates I’ve had, and the organization have all had a big impact on me. Winning [the Stanley Cup] here in 2019 was special, and I want the chance to stay here and do that again.” (NHL)