Ilya had back surgery, and the Isles talk at the charity golf event.
The boys are back! No, not the NHL Islanders (okay them too) but Mike and Dan for Islanders Anxiety.
But yeah, on the eve of camp and from their annual charity golf tournament, we’ve got some player interviews. Mostly the usual stuff, but a little bit of insight, such as…:
Islanders News
- Anthony Duclair will start off being tried next to Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal. He’s excited. [Isles | THN]
- Videos: Duclair availability | Patrick Roy availability | Barzal availability | Brock Nelson availability (Aside: I’m not used to Brock with grey hair.)
- A bit from that Roy scrum: He liked the team’s strong finish, and he liked the way they played Carolina, even granting that they won only one game. … He’s excited about Duclair’s speed. … He’s also excited that Mike Reilly is back.
- A little more SLIGHTLY RELEVANT detail on that Ilya Sorokin offseason “little bit of a thing,” as Transparent Lou said the other day: Sorokin had back surgery, Roy revealed. This is year one of his eight-year contract. [NHL | AM NY]
- One question for each Islanders forward. [Athletic]
- Some of the bigger RFA contracts around the league include Noah Dobson, who had a bunch of points but still needs to round out his defensive game if he wants big-time 1D money. [Athletic]
- Mike and Dan return with a PTO- and rookie camp-themed Islanders Anxiety podcast. Around the league, every rookie will be the greatest, and on Long Island, no Islander will ever retire. [LHH + audio platforms]
- They mention Artyom Kudashov, the 19-year-old PTO from the KHL whose dad was a brief NHLer and is a current KHL coach, which probably helped facilitate an escape. [THN]
- Far out, man: Matt Moulson smoked a hole in one. [THN]
Elsewhere
- Cole Parfetti is still unsigned, but that wasn’t stopping him from representing Winnipeg — for which he professed unconditional love — on the NHL media tour. [Sportsnet]
- Lucas Raymond gets an eight-year extension from the Red Wings, who are in year 6 of the brilliant Yzerman rebuild. [NHL | TSN]
- Officially now, Sidney Crosby re-signs in Pittsburgh. Two years, $8.7M cap hit. [NHL]
- 16 Thoughts: RFA talk, mostly. [Sportsnet]
- I totally read this as “Strongman rising with Flames” and I totally thought Calgary had brought in an authoritarian on a PTO. [NHL]