Some Other Ways the New York Islanders Can Free Up Cap Space

Some Other Ways the New York Islanders Can Free Up Cap Space

we all know the New York Islanders need to free up cap space in fact right now they can’t even field a 23an roster we’re going to talk about some original ideas that might help them do that plus we’re going to remember what may be the strangest game in New York Islanders history all that and more on today’s locked on Islanders podcast you’re locked on Islanders your daily podcast on the new New York Islanders part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day welcome everybody to the Tuesday edition of the locked on Islanders podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day I want to thank everyone who makes lockon Islanders your first listen every day don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast so you never miss an episode today’s episode is brought to you by indeed still searching for a great candidate for your company don’t search just match with indeed start hiring now with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post at indeed.com lockon terms and conditions apply need to hire you need indeed we have got a lot to discuss on today’s show but first if there’s something Islanders related on your mind if you have a question a comment maybe a topic you’d like us to discuss discuss on a future episode you can email us at lockon Islanders gmail.com and if you leave your first name and where you’re from we’re happy to mention you on the show when we discuss whatever’s on your mind you can also follow the show on X locked on Isles and you could follow me gil Martin on X at ice Wars nyr vsny we’ll keep you up to date on all things Islanders all year long during the offseason that includes hirings hings trade rumors free agency the draft hey we have a signing today to talk about we’ll get to that a little bit later on in the show it’s always great to talk a little Islanders hockey with you game time or anytime so we all know the Islanders need to free up cap space there is no surprise there as of right now the Islanders only have you know they don’t have a full roster and typically an NHL team has a 23an roster and uh well the Islanders don’t have that as of right now they have 21 players on the roster officially they have a projected cap space according to Puck pedia.com of $900,000 and they still have two restricted free agents out there Oliver walstrom who’s already uh applied for uh and will get a hearing in arbitration and Simon Holstrom well guess what the Islanders only have enough room to sign one of them unless they free up some cap space keep in mind that Lou L Morello throughout his tenure with the Islanders has never fielded an incomplete roster during that time and is unlikely to do so so clearly right now this team needs to find a way to add some cap space and you know we’ve talked about okay are they going to try to trade JG Paso you know uh that was always a possibility Andre Lee if someone would take the salary has been discussed as a possibility some people have even talked about Casey cikas I don’t think Zeke frees up enough cap space you know his cap hit right now is only two and a half million dollars yeah that would allow you to sign let’s say Holstrom and one other you know minimum salar player or maybe you know spend another million let’s say uh on another player but that’s it it would not give you any flexibility and also keep in mind that if the Islanders do not not figure out a way to free up cap space when injuries hit and I’m not saying if because injuries are always a part of hockey when injuries hit we know that they’re going to have either to juggle some players on ltir put some players on waivers and hope they pass through it is going to be tricky for them to to bring in even call up a new player from Bridgeport if they don’t find a way to free up a little more cap space so they have $900,000 in cap space Simon Holstrom has a qualifying offer of $874,000 in cap space uh and by the way by the way uh the deadline you know to sign those qualifying offers is basically was Monday at 5 o’clock Eastern time now as of this recording the Islanders have not said anything either way about whether or not Simon Holstrom has signed the deal hasn’t signed the deal that remains to be seen But one other way you know we’ve talked about direct trades which team might want Anders Lee or JG p Jo and and what have you but there’s another way for the New York Islanders to free up cap space and it may not be the most obvious or the most likely because I kind of question whether or not L larell would go this route because it requires a little creativity but you could do a three-way trade and you get two other teams involved one team takes on cap space and probably receives a player or a pick to take on that cap space and then the other two teams would trade players or picks or whatever it is that they want to do and there are teams out there that have the cap space and can take it on whether or not they’ll do it or not uh again sort of remains a question but you know would the Islanders be willing to deal with teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets a division rival who right now has more than4 a half million dollar in cap space the Calgary Flames with more than 20 almost 21 million dollar in cap space and you know these two that the Flames for example are in a good situation in the sense that they are beginning a rebuild and if they’re beginning a rebuild they may be willing to take on a veteran player or just some cap space to try to you know if they get an extra third round pick and I’m just making up a a round you know that’s incentive for them to expedite their rebuild and and and you know get things going Detroit has almost $20 million in cap space but they I think are more trying to make the playoffs this year but again cap space you know maybe not losing a player maybe just gaining a draft pick for retaining cap space that is you know something that an option opens up with a three-way trade now the two other teams that I think really could be interested in trades and these teams might be more interested in a direct trade than a three-way trade but a three-way trade TR also becomes possible you got the San Jose Sharks and then their Southern California cousins the Anaheim Ducks Ducks have more than $22 million in cap space uh the the Sharks not quite that much but also a lot of cap space they are now you know over the cap floor and you know teams like the Ducks and teams like the sharks they are teams that can use either a veteran presence like a JG Paso or an Andre Lee who could help them to uh Mentor some of their young prospects that’s always a possibility or they may be just willing to take on some cap space and and be part of a three team deal that just allows the ERS and maybe the other team they’re trading with a little more flexibility as to how much cap space is involved what players can be included in the deal look if you got a guy with a $5 million cap hit that the Islanders are interested in acquiring and Anaheim and I’m again just giving an example is willing to take on you know half of that then the Islanders only have to free up $2.5 million in cap space to make that trade work oh by the way that’s how much Casey sas’s salary is again only using an example so you can get a player who’s getting paid $5 million but only costs you $2 and A5 Million by doing that the downside to that approach however is that you’re again giving away a draft pick most likely or a prospect or somebody with the hope with the hope that uh you know you’re getting something that’ll help you win now if you believe the core of this team isn’t going to be good enough even with the addition of a you know a new player or two to really contend and it needs to be torn down to be built back up again this is not the move for you but if you want to bring in some more talent in the win now mode that is one way to do it and oh by the way l is kind of always in win now mode all right we’ve got a lot more to talk about on today’s show the Islanders have signed one of their draft picks to an uh entry-level contract we’ll talk about that we’ll talk about what may be the strangest game in New York Islanders history uh it’s a game that involves another NHL team the Stanley Cup Playoffs Bugs Bunny and Led Zeppelin let’s see if you can figure out uh anything about that game and for our Islanders birthday of the day uh an Islanders goalie from the mid90s who hung in there during some pretty tough times on Long Island we’ve got all that and a lot more coming up on today’s locked on Islanders podcast today’s episode is brought to you by indeed we’re driven by the search for better but when it comes to hiring the best way to search for a candidate isn’t to search search at all don’t search match with indeed if you need to hire you need indeed indeed is your matching and hiring platform with over 350 million Global monthly visitors according to indeed data and a matching engine that helps you find quality candidates fast ditch the busy work use indeed for scheduling screening and messaging so you can connect with quality candidates faster and listeners of lockon Islanders will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your job’s more visibility at indeed.com lockon just go to indeed.com lockon right now and support our show by saying you heard about it indeed on this podcast indeed.com lockon terms and conditions apply need to hire you need indeed are you watching Fox Sports or ESPN on your TV all day have to turn down the volume with all that shouting make this switch to lock on sports today a free 247 sports streaming Channel program for you every day to bring you the biggest stories without all the screaming locked on sports today brings you can’t miss analysis opinions and news streaming 247 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app part of the lock on podcast Network your team every day so the Islanders made a signing today some good news second round pick Jesse pinan the big defenseman he ends up signing with the New York Islanders a threeyear entrylevel deal panan 19 years old he’ll turn 20 in December a native of Finland 6 foot6 203 pounds was not drafted a year ago in 2023 but was drafted by the Islanders this year uh played both in a Junior League briefly and then in an adult league in Finland last year had two goals eight points in 29 games uh playing with adults in Finland and look he is a guy who I think has the potential down the road to be an impact player maybe even a middle you know pair defenseman his offensive game is not great but he has real confidence when he’s playing in the defensive Zone he knows how to block shots he has a Long Reach reminds a couple of Scouts of Adam pelic of all people uh with that reach and the way he basically can knock the puck off the Stick of an offensive player now he still needs to work on his passing and his offense probably uh you know again still a few years away from the National Hockey League but at the same time you got to think that signing him is definitely a step forward for the New York Islanders and and something that this team really needed to do and we’ll see how long it takes him to get to the NHL now Puck pedia says he will earn $775,000 in the first two years so that’s the league minimum with this entrylevel contract so this year and next year in year three his NHL salary would go up to $800,000 and he does get a signing bonus of 97.5 th000 and there is a games played bonus of $102,500 he would be a restricted free agent after the 2026 2027 season and the aav the average cap hit for his deal is $881,000 so here is a promising defenseman and he’s not as young as some of the other players you know in the draft because he was sort of passed over last year and to now have him available you know to the organization having signed his entrylevel deal uh the Islanders are quietly quietly building up a group of defensemen who I think can really eventually make an impact you’ve got pinan you got Isaiah George he’s 20 at this point CI odelius 20 uh those three guys are out there with this team now and you know who knows in three years maybe all three of them but at least one or two should be on the Islanders roster and again this is something that Islander fans are certainly aware of because we’ve been talking about every dayers you know we’ve been talking about this frequently on the show the Islanders need to do a better job of developing their picks and getting them ready for the NHL I don’t want to see more Islanders picks get either brought up too quickly which happened to guys like Josh Bailey for example or Nino Neer Rider or they get brought up and don’t get a chance whether you talk about uh Oliver walstrom or rusan iskakov guys who or maybe even Samuel baluk who may very well be facing a similar situation if he doesn’t start cracking the lineup they’re too good for the AHL nothing to prove there they’re not good enough for the NHL uh or or they’re not given enough of a chance to succeed in the NHL and you end up with a guy who is stuck in no man’s land as far as his development is concerned and you don’t want to see that happen so hopefully the Islanders start to improve the way they develop their prospects because it is very important for this franchise to be able to do that why well let’s face it we know in the history of the Islanders they have never signed an elite Big Ticket free agent in his prime they have look Anthony duclair this year great signing very happy with it but is Clair you know a top 10 free agent in this market no it’s never happened whether it’s because of the market the taxes in New York the facial hair rule that L larell has in the past the excuse was always oh yeah the Nassau Coliseum old building nobody wants to play there the facilities aren’t good enough whatever the excuses used to be you know they still haven’t been able to do it and that makes draft and develop as well as trade vital to the success of this franchise and lamello has made some good trades some bad ones but some good trades getting Bo Horvat getting Alexander Romanov you know getting Kyle palmary these are been useful players who have helped the New York Islanders You could argue about the cost but these have been useful players that he’s acquired for the New York Islanders but the draft and develop thing and the free agency thing both need Improvement and we’ll see whether or not that can happen going forward all right we have a lot more to get to on today’s show you know we’re g to talk about what may very well be the strangest game in Islanders history we’re going to talk about that we’ll have our Islanders birthday of the day all that and a lot more coming up on today’s locked on Islanders podcast lockon has launched the first ever National Sports 247 streaming Channel on YouTube and now it’s also available on Amazon Fire TV and the free Fire TV channels app locked on sports today is here for you 247 covering the top sports stories of the day with the local Experts of locked on Plus are National shows covering every League find locked on sports today now available on the free Fire TV channels app so I wanted to talk about what may very well be the strangest game in New York Islanders history and one of the strangest games in NHL history it is by the way the only game to my knowledge in the history of the Islanders where they played a game at the Nassau Coliseum a playoff game no less but the Islanders were the road team they wore their what were then their blue Road jerseys the other team in this case the Chicago Blackhawks had the final change when matching lines and were designated in as the home team wearing their home whites here’s what happened the was April 7th 1977 and the Islanders faced the Chicago Blackhawks in the old preliminary round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs which was a best two out of three and back then the first place team in every division had a buy and then the next eight teams would face off and then the four winners would Advance against the four division winners for the quarter quinal round well basically the Chicago Blackhawks that year did not expect to be in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs so what ends up happening the people who ran Chicago Stadium booked a lead Zeppelin concert for the three days around the uh the scheduled home game for the Blackhawks in this best of three Series so the Islanders were home for game one and if necessary game three the Blackhawks for game two so Leed Zeppelin is playing at Chicago Stadium the Chicago Bulls had games scheduled on the two days that the concert was not taking place and so the Blackhawks made a proposal The Proposal was hey let’s play the game at a neutral sight Bill Tori Hall of Fame general manager of the Islanders back then he knew the NHL rule book and the rule book said that any game that could decide a playoff series could not be played at a neutral site so the Islanders made the arrangement that they would be the home team and the uh they would rather be the road team team but game two of this series would be played at the Nassau Coliseum now the Islanders won game one five to two game two you had Tony esposo the Hall of Fame goalie of the Blackhawks going up against Billy Smith the Hall of Fame goalie of the New York Islanders and again Islanders in there then Road Blues the Blackhawks in there home whites Blackhawks had the last change now it wasn’t even that simple because the Islanders also had to kick out a scheduled event at the Nassau Coliseum and that was a a children’s performance involving Bugs Bunny live at the Nassau Coliseum well Bugs Bunny got postponed Led Zeppelin won the day and the game was played at the Coliseum after all was said and done the Blackhawks ended up scoring the first Dennis Hull got it from Bob Murray and Stan Makita Midway through the first period but the Islanders answered JW drwan scored his first of the playoffs Ed Westfall had one assist Dave salvan had the other and Dave salvian this was his only career NHL game either regular season or playoff and he ended up with an assist on what was then the tying goal in the second period Clark Gillies scored Billy Harris had the assist and that was all she wrote the Islanders beat the Blackhawks 2 to one eliminated Chicago from the playoffs and managed to win a road game the only Road game they ever played at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Islanders outshot the Blackhawks 35-19 Tony Esposito outstanding in goal for Chicago but the Islanders end up carrying the day they were the much better team and they would advance to the quarterfinal round uh where they would face the Buffalo Sabers and sweep them in four games and after that the Islanders would go on to face the canadi ends in the semi-finals and Montreal would eliminate them on their way to their second of four straight Stanley Cups but what a strange occurrence this game was and the New York Islanders uh played on the road thanks to a conflict with Led Zeppelin Bugs Bunny and Bill Tori who really knew the NHL rule book uh and you could hear the audio of this game I believe on YouTube so you could check that out if you want time now for our Islanders birthday of the day and uh well we are basically a day early but Wednesday will be the 55th birthday of former Islanders goalie Tommy soderstrom the Swedish native drafted by the flyers in the 11th round back in 1990 came over to North America in 1992 played for the flyers for two years and then joined the Isles in 9495 which was a a lockout shorten year was The Islander starter in9 4 995 9596 only played one game in 9697 and then headed back to Sweden to finish his hockey career in 156 career NHL games sostrom had a 363 goals against average and an 884 save percentage those Islander teams that he played on were not the best they struggled this is prime fisherman Jersey time and one of his better games as an Islander how about January 11th 1996 Islanders in the fisherman jerseys hosting the Maple Leafs at the Coliseum Damien rhods gets the start for the Leafs obviously Tommy sostrom in goal for the Islanders and the Islanders jumped out to a three to nothing lead a short-handed goal by Dan plant Matthew Schneider scoring on the power play Nicholas Anderson scoring at even strength theyed 3 nothing after one but it took a second period goal by Ziggy paly to be the game winner the Islanders gave up three goals two in the second one in the third but because of some outstanding goal tending by Tommy sostrom they were able to win this game by a score of four to3 despite being outshot 46- 23 in this game so sostrom with 43 saves and a 935 save percentage to earn the W and if you were the goalie for the Islanders in 1995 96 some of your wins were going to come in games like that as well where the Islanders were outplayed but y goalie in this case Tommy soderstrom stood on his head so uh a very happy birthday a day early to Tommy sostrom he is our Islanders birthday of the day I want to thank everyone who makes locked on Islanders your first listen every day every dayers we will be back tomorrow on the show with the latest Islanders news notes and happenings any new signings any new rumors any we will hopefully have a decision on whether or not uh Simon Holstrom signed his qualifying offer we’ll fill you in on all the details of that so make sure you join us for that until then keep cool everybody it’s hot out there here on Long Island have a great day and of course let’s go Islanders

The New York Islanders need to free up some cap space. We discuss a slightly different way they could do it which may give the team some more flexibility and why some cap space must be cleared before the start of the season.

The Islanders also signed 2024 2nd round pick Jesse Pulkkinen out of Finland to a 3-year, entry level contract. We’ll talk a little bit about him and what he’ll bring to the Islanders organization.

And we look back at the strangest game in Islanders history, a playoff game that involved Led Zeppelin , Bugs Bunny and the Isles playing a road game at the Nassau Coliseum.

All this and more on today’s Locked On Islanders Podcast with Gil Martin.

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