What Will the New York Islanders Do with Their RFAs
Ross Macias of NYI Hockey Now: Macias looks at the contract extensions for restricted free agent defensemen Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov. Early on, he mentions how the Islanders are leaning toward Matthew Schaefer over James Hagens when it comes to the number one overall pick.
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There is a belief that Noah Dobson will re-sign and stay with the Islanders. New GM Mathieu Darche likes Dobson and sees as part of the future despite the reports of his name out there in trade rumors. Based on projections from AFP analytics, Dobson could be looking at an eight-year deal at $10 million AAV. That doesn’t mean he will get that, but the feeling is he will not get anything less than five years. It could be a six-year deal in the $8-$9 million range.
Macias writes that Simon Holmstrom and Maxim Tsyplakov will sign extensions that are shorter in range. So, where does that leave Alexander Romanov? Well, projections have him at a one-year deal around $4.48 million and if the Islanders do go Schaefer, they’ll have a log jam on defense. Someone would have to go if they decide to keep Romanov. But with Isiah George there and Schaefer maybe NHL ready, the Islanders will have a tough decision to make on Romanov.
Don Sweeney Has Work To Do on the Boston Bruins Roster
Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic: Fluto writes that now that the Bruins hired their new coach in Marco Sturm, GM Don Sweeney needs to get to work on his roster. The Bruins missed the playoffs and moved out players like Trent Frederic, Brandon Carlo, and Brad Marchand at the trade deadline. It is a new era in the Black and Gold for the Bruins.
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The Bruins have a solid roster with Elias Lindholm, David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, and Casey Mittelstadt up front. On the backend, there are Charlie McAvoy, Nikita Zadorov, and Hampus Lindholm. However, the question for Sweeney is, will he bring Morgan Geekie back? He was an excellent member of the Boston Bruins this season. Let’s not forget about the tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo.
However, the roster needs to get younger and they need to replace what they had in guys like Marchand, Carlo, and Frederic. The next priority for Boston will be add goal scoring. While Mitch Marner is likely off the table, the Bruins cannot overspend on players this summer as they did last year. But a trade isn’t out of the world of possibility to get the type of players Marco Sturm wants.
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