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Islanders News: Pulock among worst contracts; site changes loom, should be cool

2025-08-04T06:30:00-04:00

There’s still time, man. There’s still time. Like five years, to be specific. | Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images

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Hey friends (and foes), our new site overhaul is scheduled for overnight (Monday-Tuesday, Western Hemisphere times), so I wanted to get one more thread up before that transition happens and in case we have any login hiccups on the other side.

For the NHL sites on the Vox/SB Nation network, these changes come at a good time since we are in the quietest period of NHL news {knocks on wood, fully expects blockbuster trade at 5 p.m.}.

What Should You Do?

Understand that you will be logged out Aug. 4-5 and will need to log back in. The biggest thing you should do is to review this network-wide post to understand how you’ll log in and retain your user name or archive once the changeover happens. (And yes, I do see the delicious irony in having to close a pop-up ad on a post that tells you how to continue using our site. Ahhh, capitalism.) How you log in after the change will vary depending on how you log in now (e.g. Google and Facebook? Fine; Yahoo or Twitter? You got work to do) or how you first created your user name.

~~Lord~~ Bossy knows we don’t want to lose anyone to this changeover — well, except you there, in the back. Yeah you, the one with the Muller jersey. Real funny. Go dye your hair.

So bear with us, follow the directions and hopefully we’ll see you on the other side.

Meanwhile...

Islanders News

Ranking the 10 worst contracts in the league: Once upon a time, “Ryan Pulock [7th-worst] was one half of one of the league’s best shutdown pairs. Even if the production wasn’t there, Pulock looked like a true top-pair stud with his ability to win difficult matchups with Adam Pelech. It’s what made it seem like an eight-year deal at $6.2 million could be a great deal. Today, it looks anything but. In two of the last three seasons, the Islanders have struggled a lot more with Pulock on the ice at both ends of it.” [Athletic]

New prospect Daniil Prokhorov has some options. He’s going to try out for Dynamo Moscow but if that doesn’t work he could go back to Russian juniors or even leap to North America with OHL Sarnia. (He has some interesting traits but is still a longshot, so I wouldn’t spend much time worrying about it, except it’s August and what else are we gonna do?) [THN]

Elsewhere

Bill Guerin says the U.S. “has to win” at the Olympics. Okay then! [NHL]
Speaking of which, Connor Bedard was among 42 invited to Team Canada camp, so isn’t that nice. [NHL]
32 Thoughts podcast: a 1.5 hour mid-summer check-in you can probably do without. [Sportsnet]
The 2016 Draft: Not a great one! (But the Isles have the joy of temporarily employing underwhelming picks 19, 20 and 21.) [Oilers Nation / Hockey Reference]

Islanders News: Shabanov hype, Schaefer’s next gig, Barzal’s aces

2025-07-30T06:30:00-04:00

Ready to bring the skill | Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Let’s get excited.

It’s the end of July, which means next month is the last month without at least some preseason hockey.

We’re getting there, and this week we have a few sprinkled reasons to kind of be excited on and off the ice.

Islanders News

A teammate on the work ethic, skills and game-changing ability of our diminutive KHL signing, Maxim Shabanov. [Isles]
Matthew Schaefer’s busy summer continues this weekend with the junior summer showcase in Minnesota. But will he be able to play in the winter tourney, or will he be with the Isles? [NHL]
Mat Barzal hit two holes-in-one within a week. [NHL]
No story other than the photo, but...: When Stan Fischler interviewed Neil Smith, Lou Lamoriello and Mike Milbury as metro GMs for MSG in 1998. [NHL]

Elsewhere

Kind of funny: Should the Oilers address their shaky goalie situation by acquiring a shaky goalie from the Penguins? I love the thought of the Oilers reaching the final again (they won’t) and answering their “we needed someone to match Bobrovsky save for save” desire by saying “so we got Tristan Jarry.” [Sportsnet]
At age 37 and after sitting out a couple years due to a hip injury, Nick Backstrom will resume (and surely finish) his pro hockey career back in Sweden. [NHL]
The cold standoff between the Wild and Marco Rossi continues. [TSN]
Kind of crazy that Nazem Kadri is already 35. If he and the Flames’ trajectories don’t match, here are some sensible trade destinations. [Sportsnet]

Max Tsyplakov signs for two years with Islanders

2025-07-25T18:09:11-04:00

Max have puck. | Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images

No arbitration, no suspense.

The New York Islanders announced a two-year extension with Max Tsyplakov, avoiding an arbitration hearing and locking him up at a very reasonable rate.

Before the team could get the announcement out Friday afternoon, Elliotte Friedman cottage-tweeted the cap hit of $2.25 million:

NYI and Maxim Tsyplakov avoid arbitration

2 x $2.25M
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 25, 2025

Tsyplakov was one of 11 NHLers to file for arbitration this summer, though these days most reach an agreement before their hearing, which for him would’ve come July 29. A one-year deal would’ve walked the KHL import to UFA, so this provides some nice flexibility for the Isles as Tsyplakov continues to establish his NHL profile in his age 27 season.

He’s coming off a one-year ELC that had a $950,000 cap hit. With 10 goals and 25 points and 14-15 minutes of ice time per game, he didn’t wow during his rookie year but he showed flashes. Some of his underlying numbers hint at an effective and intermittently productive NHL regular, especially if he can avoid taking minor penalties.

This salary sounds about right for where he is and what his usage may be. There will be competition for the kind of top-six wing spots that would allow him to outperform this contract on his way to a bigger payday in UFA.

Islanders Muse: On Tsyplakov, Barzal’s position, Martin’s role

2025-07-24T13:21:28-04:00

Tell me all your thoughts on wing. | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Not “news” exactly, but things to muse about

It has been a slow mid-July for the NHL and my LHH productivity reflects that. What passes for news is “some guy said this about some guy” and “hey, we’re going to move your LHH cheese again but it’ll taste great, we swear.”

The next signpost up ahead is Max Tsyplakov’s arbitration hearing date on July 29, though it’s surely even odds that he and the team reach a contract agreement before then.

But we owe ourselves fresh threads! This is a fresh thread. Some things to muse upon:

Matt Martin talked about his new role, the Noah Dobson trade, his time with the Leafs and other stuffs with two podcast co-hosts I find difficult to listen to. #sendmethetranscript Probably worth your while though. (I won’t keep harping on this, but it’s a new era when others in the org are allowed to do interviews.) [YouTube]
Speaking of new eras, new opportunities for season ticket holders like attending select practices, open skates, etc. [Newsday]
An evergreen discussion that will have new chapters this year, or at least during training camp: Mat Barzal’s ideal position. Thomas Hickey says it’s on the wing. [THN]
Hitmeister-turned-broadcaster Cal Clutterbuck is “competing” in the NY State Open. [NHL]
Are you an entertainer? Can you hype? Apply with the Isles. [Isles]

Elsewhere

Nothing really happening elsewhere. But here’s the offseason rewind on the Kraken, now helmed by Lane Lambert: “We’ll be strong structurally, but we will also create offense, and we’ll play fast, we’ll be aggressive, we’ll be at the net in the offensive zone, we’ll shoot pucks.” Prove it! [NHL]
And here’s Stan Fischler on the Panthers’ hope of becoming a dynasty. They would be the first — despite all the dynasty interruptus impostors — since the 1980-83 Islanders. [NHL]

A new look coming for Lighthouse Hockey in August

2025-07-24T12:00:00-04:00

Our coverage remains the same but with a new look

In just a couple of weeks, Lighthouse Hockey is switching to a new platform as part of SB Nation’s network-wide move to a new publishing platform. This will change the look of the site and also make it faster and more reliable on any device you use. This is an upgrade.

When you land on the site, it will look cleaner – less clunky, with more white space, a better ad experience with faster load times – but will still have all the usual articles, analysis, and news by all the folks you know.

Community discussion and content created by you will be more prominent in the new design. The best comment threads will be easy to find, and staff and commenters alike will be able to start conversations whenever they like with a brand new tool.

We’re planning on an early August reveal, so we wanted to give you a heads up. You’ll hear more from us when it’s almost here. The site will look a little different, feel a little faster, and, most importantly, have a bigger role for you, the community.

So, stick around and check it out!

Islanders News: Prospect props, Halak retires, Clutterbuck trains

2025-07-19T06:00:00-04:00

Once upon a time, in a career far, far away | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

We spend the slow month looking at prospects.

Sorry for the silence over this past week, though there’s been little Islanders news to relay/discuss. I’ve been in Maine hiking and Maine-ing with extended family and generally having a great time away from regular responsibilities.

Islanders News

The regular season schedule is out; individual tickets are on sale July 22. [Isles]
Cal Clutterbuck goes to broadcast camp. [NHL]\
And he’s having fun with his new on-camera roles, including the bit releasing the Isles’ 2025-26 schedule. [THN]
That schedule can be found here, of course. [Isles]
And some things to note include an Oct. 11 opener and the return to 7:00 default start times. [Isles]
Various former coaches talk about what separates Cole Eiserman. [Post]
Ol’ friend Jaroslav Halak officially retires. Will there ever be another 5’11” goalie? [NHL | Newsday] He has to settle with “not reaching 300 wins,” even though his 295 regular season wins are quite a lot and his playoff wins would take him well past that arbitrary mark that sounds good in our culture’s base-10 counting system. [TSN]
Get to know fresh pick Jacob Kvasnicka. [Isles]
And fellow draftee Victor Eklund has signed his ELC. [Isles]
Fellow draftee Tomas Poletin was actually drafted twice in one week. [Isles]
Island Ice podcast: Offseason recap with Andrew Gross and Colin Stephenson. [SoundCloud]
Former Isles assistant Gerard Gallant is evidently headed to the KHL. [Post]

Elsewhere

The Jets signed Gabriel Vilardi to sined a six-year, $45 million contract ($7.5 million cap hit) deal. [NHL]
After finally dealing John Gibson, the Ducks extended Lukas Dostal for rive years. [NHL]
The Canucks dealt Dakota Joshua to the Leafs for a fourth. [NHL] Here’s why they did it, maybe. [Sportsnet]
Some Russian Blue Jacket has requested a trade, Google Translate suspects. [Sportsnet]
One-time hot junior prospect Joe Velano has signed a one-year deal with the Habs. [Sportsnet]

Islanders News: The quiet and the Dobson; Drouin and our Beau lobbyist

2025-07-12T06:30:00-04:00

Not a Johnson, but also not... | Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

A fascinating trade because the main piece has high potential yet is so uninspiring.

We’ve entered the second-quietest part of the NHL calendar, with the biggest names — to the extent there were any “big” ones — off the UFA market and only the arbitration hearing calendar to keep the usual Canadian professional liars from tossing their phones in the lake at the ol’ cottage.

The Islanders do have Max Tsyplakov on the arbitration docket, so there’s that to look out for, but the chances of that going too off-market or turning into a Tommy Salo situation are slim.

Meanwhile, the biggest Isles move of the summer continues to intrigue will be a fascinating one for the next several years. The team that gets the best player usually “wins” a trade, but in the case of Noah Dobson, there is a cap allocation consideration as well as the unknown futures of the two players they drafted (plus Emil Heineman, we need to somehow factor in his potential contribution even if it will never match Dobson’s).

Interestingly, it’s one of those futures-for-present moves that is getting praise for both sides, though certainly more of that is going to the Canadiens. The “what the hell is this guy anyway?” wild card of Dobson at 25 is what makes it intriguing. If he’s going to be the massive star some are making him out to be, then the trade is a huge win for the Habs, hands down. And yet...while “defensemen take longer to develop” and all that, the truly great ones have shown their potential before 25.

The Athletic actually had a nice breakdown of how things look, and while it gave the typical “if you have a chance to get a guy like this, you take it” angle on the Canadiens, it also conceded the warts in Dobson’s game that have made some of us okay with this deal:

Defensemen get caught flat-footed and puck-watching all the time. Mistakes are bound to happen in a high-paced league filled with scoring threats. However, the number of errors from Dobson was concerning last year, especially for someone asking for such a sizable raise. Technically, he was on the ice for fewer shots and expected goals against at five-on-five this past year, compared to 2023-24. But his fingerprints were on more goals against, which made his errors all the more glaring.

I really don’t know if Dobson will ever figure it out to be a true all-world, two-way guy that Team Canada says has to be on their blueline, but I think the chances are pretty low that the Habs ever deeply regret this trade. With the cap rising, at minimum Dobson should be a flawed but still productive offensive blueliner.

I know Alex Pietrangelo had warts in his game at 21, 22, 23, but he also was farther on the star curve and more competent in his own end (and the PK) than Dobson well before 25. Pietrangelo would not have had Butch Goring diplomatically scratching his head on a weekly basis as he seemed to about “the Dobber.”

Drew Doughty is of course an unfair standard, but he basically arrived at 19 being mocked about his weight and then immediately showed he was a force before he hit age 20. Point being, the truly great ones identify themselves well before 25. They take over games and inspire you with thoughts of “Damn, we could win a CUP with this guy.”

Dobson is somewhere short of that.

At the other end of the high-potential/hype, low hockey-IQ spectrum are the American Johnsons, Erik and Jack (no relation, other than the frustration they exacted on fans). They had skills, yes they did. They had hype, that, too. They had long careers even. But never, ever did they instill the confidence that they could be a #1 on a contender, except among certain GMs who ended up not contending.

Dobson is somewhere above that. But for me these examples help contextualize the decision the Isles’ new regime faced coming in.

Until this year’s trade deadline, I always assumed Dobson would be a long-term Islander, though I did worry he would ultimately be in the bottom tier of the league’s #1 defensemen. As if other teams would say, “Oh, he’s your top guy? That’s swell, but I’m definitely not jealous.”

For that reason, the Isles trading Dobson instead of breaking the bank for him — the Habs GM claims he took less to go to Montreal — follows a certain logic.

However, then there’s also the other variables that will always be there for this asset allocation decision, and the ripple of what Lou left us: With a rising cap that should have allowed a splurge, the Isles only forced themselves into a tough choice among Dobson and Alex Romanov because they have Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield all signed for combined AAV of $15.4 million through the next four years (and for Pulock and Mayfield, five).

That’s not a ton for your top four in the projected 2025-2028 cap world if they’re truly top four, but each of these guys is showing mileage that affirms it’s not 2020 anymore.

Not Only, But Also

This Isles fan visited every NHL arena, but the real takeaway here is calling Toronto’s Whatever-bank/tire Cent(e)r(e) “the MSG of Canada.” [Post]
Rumored to be in their final season, Bridgeport announces “Sound Tiger” Saturdays. [THN]
Anthony Beauvillier may be a rival now, but he’s still pumping Long Island’s tires as an unofficial ambassador to guys like Jonathan Drouin:

#Isles Forward Jonathan Drouin talked on #NHLTonight on @NHLNetwork about heading to Long Island! pic.twitter.com/L4kMUj0qFi
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) July 10, 2025

Islanders & NHL News: CBA sealed, Edmonton gets Howard, prospects jump to NCAA

2025-07-09T07:00:00-04:00

Just cut the penalties, okay? | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Also: Gatcomb gets a one-way deal, leaving Tsyplakov as the only arbitration filer.

While the new NHL CBA (now freshly ratified) that takes effect in 2026-27 mostly maintains the status quo but with several improvements here and there (plus a longer regular season), the world of “amateur” hockey continues to churn.

As Canadian junior players make the jump to the NCAA that was not previously available to them before U.S. courts cut the college “student-athlete” charade, a top NCAA player has changed his mind and jumped to the NHL via a trade to the back-to-back Stanley Cup finalists.

Islanders News

Will Marc Gatcomb be on the opening night roster? He and the Isles avoided arbitration and he got a one-way deal, but with the competition in camp he could still end up in a “first callup” role. [Post]
That leaves Max Tsyplakov as the only Isles arbitration filing. His qualifying offer was basically for the minimum, so they have time to work out a better raise or see what an arbitrator makes of his rookie season. [THN]

NHL News

Isaac Howard, the Hobey Baker Award winner, was traded from the Lightning to the Oilers, with whom he immediately signed an ELC. The Michigan State scorer — who previously transferred from Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA’s new transfer portal world — had said he wanted to stay at Michigan State to continue the championship chase. Maybe the chance to be a missing piece on a Stanley Cup finalist swayed him otherwise. There were no stories last night shedding light on this process, other than the Lightning acquiring prospect Sam O’Reilly in exchange. [NHL]

The NHL and NHLPA officially ratified the 4-year CBA extension. They’ll post the full doc later, though most of the key details have already been shared. [NHL]
Next year’s projected 1st overall pick Gavin McKenna has left the WHL to jump to NCAA Penn State. (For the education, I’m sure. And six figures in NIL money.) Will others join him? [Sportsnet]
The Canadiens have done a lot, but they still have a hole at 2C like so many teams. [Sportsnet]
Grading every team’s offseason. [ESPN]
Evgeny Kuznetsov wants to come back to the NHL, his agent promises he won’t cost as much this time. Duh. [TSN]
The Avalanche have hired Dave Hakstol as an assistant coach. [TSN]
Evidently Jeff Tambellini played for the Lightning? He replaces Mathieu Darche as assistant GM there, his “third stint” with the franchise. [Lightning]
Tyler Johnson, once part of the Lightning reign that is now fading, has retired. [NHL]