MONTREAL — As day two of the NHL draft opened and goaltenders began to be moved with abandon — Ville Husso to the Purple Wings, Vitek Vanacek to the Devils — the thoughts wandered to the Islanders and Semyon Varlamov.
Varlamov performed 32 video games final season and takes a $5 million chew out of the staff’s cap sheet. There's some query over the standing of Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders’ presumptive starter, who's at the moment in Russia, per an Instagram submit. Assuming he makes it again to North America, nonetheless, will probably be his present in web. It’s straightforward to place the puzzle items collectively from there.
Islanders common supervisor Lou Lamoriello, nonetheless, is holding steadfast to the goaltending tandem he has in place.
“That’s my feeling,” Lamoriello mentioned on the draft ground moments after the seventh spherical wrapped. “I’ve mentioned it from day one and I really feel that approach at present.”
For those who take him at his phrase, that eliminates one of many clearest strikes dangling in entrance of the Islanders to get some cash off the books that can be utilized for a ahead when free company opens subsequent week.
However, it's straightforward to see why clearing Varlamov’s $5 million off the books may make sense, if not now, then quickly.
Lamoriello checked the largest field of the offseason on Thursday night time when he gave up a first-round choose to get defenseman Alexander Romanov, finishing the staff’s prime 4 with a bodily skater who can transfer the puck alongside Noah Dobson — albeit one with appreciable room to develop.
Subsequent on the record: a wing who can benefit from Mathew Barzal’s prodigious ability.
When eventual contracts for Dobson and Romanov are factored into the cap calculations, although, Lamoriello might need restricted room by which so as to add a ahead with out making a commerce. He additionally famous, when requested about pending unrestricted free agent Sebastian Aho, that the Islanders plan to re-sign their younger gamers. Kieffer Bellows, who shall be hitting restricted free company, would presumably be counted amongst that group.
The Islanders additionally have to preserve at the back of their minds that Barzal is due a brand new contract following the approaching season — and assuming he plans to remain on Lengthy Island, as indicated throughout his exit interview in April, that might effectively break the financial institution.
On Friday afternoon, although, Lamoriello exhibited a contented air over his week’s work.
“We acquired a participant we will put in our lineup, so all people’s blissful,” he mentioned. “After which at present, we gotta diversify.”
That got here within the type of including Swedish defenseman Calle Odelius with the sixty fifth choose, USHL ahead Quinn Finley with the 78th choose, then OHL defenseman Isaiah George with the 98th choose, all inside 90 minutes of the proceedings.
If there was a typical theme to glean from these choices, it was that the Islanders prioritized skating and upside.
“We acquired a pair good defensemen,” Lamoriello mentioned. “One we felt very sturdy on, definitely. We acquired a purpose scorer. Received a younger participant who’s acquired super upside.
Within the fifth and sixth rounds, the Islanders went with two older gamers, Matt Maggio and Daylan Kuefler.
“I’m so blissful that I ended up with the Islanders,” Odelius mentioned, summing up the overall feeling of the draftees. “I do know some issues in regards to the Islanders, like Lengthy Island, Noah Dobson, Mathew Barzal.”
Barzal, who has confirmed to be the Islanders’ most recognizable face among the many 18-year-old hockey gamers on the draft, would be the middle of intrigue quickly sufficient. For the second, although, the main focus turns to getting the appropriate items round him.
“If we will do some issues that we really feel higher positionally, we’re gonna do it,” Lamoriello mentioned. “We’ve tried to do one thing for our protection. We had been lucky, for my part, to get Romanov. Now it’s simply, take one factor at a time.”
Islanders draft picks
Calle Odelius
Place: Left defenseman
Drafted: 2nd spherical, sixty fifth general
Peak: 6-foot
Weight: 185 kilos
Membership: Djugardens (SHL)
What to know: Odelius is a formidable skater, however performed simply seven video games in Sweden’s prime division final yr and might want to present extra at that stage, notably in his physicality.
Quinn Finley
Place: Left wing
Drafted: third spherical, 78th general
Peak: 6-foot
Weight: 170 kilos
Membership: Madison Capitols (USHL)
What to know: Finley, a Wisconsin commit, is a play-making wing who can have just a few years to go in his growth, and might want to acquire some muscle in that point.
Isaiah George
Place: Left defenseman
Drafted: 4th spherical, 98th general
Peak: 6-foot-1
Weight: 196 kilos
Membership: London Knights (OHL)
What to know: Between George and Odelius, the Islanders prioritized skating of their younger defensemen. George had six objectives and 17 assists in his first OHL season final yr.
Matthew Maggio
Place: Proper wing
Drafted: fifth spherical, 142nd general
Peak: 5-foot-11
Weight: 187 kilos
Membership: Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
What to know: At 19, Maggio is an older prospect, however had a breakout yr in 2021-22 with 85 factors, scoring 38 objectives with 47 assists.
Daylan Kuefler
Place: Left wing
Drafted: sixth spherical, 174th general
Peak: 6-foot-1
Weight: 192 kilos
Club: Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
What to know: Kuefler is in the identical mould as Maggio: an overage prospect who produced at a excessive stage final season. At age 20, Kuefler scored 38 objectives with 21 assists for Kamloops final season.
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