Russell’s Roundup: Laine Trade, Oilers Decision Coming

The NHL is having an exciting middle of August. It’s rare when that’s true, yet the league finds itself with another huge trade, as Patrik Laine was shipped to Montreal. Today also brings the Oilers’ final decision on the offer sheets tendered to Phillip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. Oh, and the Islanders’ first preseason game is just 33 days away.

Francisco Alvarez belted a huge home run that reverberated around New York. It seems like the Islanders last season. The Mets won’t die despite blowing leads and having crazy momentum shifts throughout the season.

New York Islanders:

NY Islanders Website: Yesterday was National Photography Day, and the Islanders released their favorite photos from 2023-2024 to celebrate.

NYI Hockey Now: As a refresher ahead of today’s article on Alexander Romanov’s next contract, here is what the Islanders defense depth chart looks like.

NHL News & National Hockey Now:

Montreal Hockey Now: The Habs made a massive move on Monday, acquiring Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets along with a 2025 second-round pick, all while just parting with youngster Jordan Harris, who had a sneaky good season in his depth role. Get the full breakdown on the trade here.

More MHN: The Canadiens have a lot of good young players. They also have a lot of good, young defensemen. They knew those guys were coming- it’s a part of why Alexander Romanov is an Islander today. Marc Dumont writes how they used this strength to address a weakness.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Yesterday, the Penguins announced a slew of Hockey Ops changes behind the scenes. Amanda Kessel was promoted to AGM, as Jason Spezza added GM of the Wilkes-Barres Scranton Penguins to his name. They also stole MLB Analytics Guru Jonathan Erlichman from the Tampa Bay Rays. Dan Kingerski has the full scoop.

San Jose Hockey Now: A day after being traded from the Oilers to San Jose, Cody Ceci expressed excitement at the opportunity to be a veteran leader on the young Sharks, helping to mentor and nurture youngsters like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith along as the Sharks rebuild churns on.

Sportsnet: Mark Spector writes up the Oilers strategy after acquiring Vasily Podkolzin and shipping out Ceci. They can now keep both Phillip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. However, they would have to place Evander Kane on LTIR, which is an expected move. It could be a good 48 hours for the Oilers.

New Jersey Hockey Now (+ $): While the last two years have seen Devils fans begging for a long-term solution in net, the Devils acquired Jacob Markstrom earlier this offseason. That seemingly takes them out of the running on Yaroslavl Askarov, the want away Nashville Predators netminder, despite perhaps being the best young goalie available in some time. He won’t be a Devil, writes James Nichols.

Philly Hockey Now: Take a ride down the Garden State Parkway and head toward Philadelphia, and you’ll find a completely different attitude toward Askarov. Jonathan Bailey writes why Askarov is a perfect fit for the Flyers.