The draft is over and free agency begins tomorrow. That means today is Tampering Day. Lou Lamoriello, famously, does not pick up the phone until noon on July 1. However, my hunch is that he’s good at back-channel information gathering—I don’t think he trades for Bo Horvat if he doesn’t have an idea that Horvat would sign, for example.
Typically, we don’t hear much about the tampering that New York Islanders do or don’t do. But Lamoriello spoke to the media yesterday after the draft ended and shared more than usual. Of note, Doug Houda is out as an assistant coach, so hopefully, the defense and penalty kill improve. Lou said Houda’s replacement will be announced soon. Also, he will qualify Oliver Wahlstrom, but he wants to give him a fresh start.
While no players moved on Day 1 of the draft, there were some big moves on Day 2, and already a little bit of news today. The Islanders didn’t make any trades, but they weren’t the only team to leave the draft without having swung a deal.
Islanders News
- Draft coverage from Day 2 and coverage of Lou’s media availability: LHH | Islanders | Newsday | NY Post
- More on Wahlstrom looking for more opportunity. Today is the deadline to qualify unsigned RFAs. [THN]
- And more on Houda-hell-is-dat-guy on his way out; apparently, he has another gig lined up. John MacLean ain’t going anywhere, though. [THN]
- Cole Eiserman admitted that he’ll have “a chip on [his] shoulder” after dropping to no. 20, but he’s eager to prove the Isles right for picking him, adding that a chip on the shoulder “never hurts.” [NHL]
- The Islanders didn’t trade either of their second-rounders; instead, with the extra one, they picked Eiserman’s buddy from the USNTDP, Kamil Bednarik. [THN]
- With the deadline today, here are the final buyouts; the Islanders, as expected, did not buy out any contracts.
Buyout waivers today: Adam Boqvist (Columbus), Jack Campbell (Edmonton), Nate Schmidt (Winnipeg)
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 30, 2024
Elsewhere
- Elliotte Friedman wrote a quick 32 Thoughts, summarizing what he rambled about on the mini-episode they put out last night. More on the Bolts’ pursuit of Guentzel below, but it sounds like Steven Stamkos won’t be a Lightning anymore. [Sportsnet]
- The first trade of the day was a whopper: Utah acquired Mikhail Sergachev from the Lightning. Utah also traded for John Marino from the Devils. [Sportsnet]
- Tampa also traded Tanner Jeannot, with the expectation being that a large chunk of the newfound cap space will be offered to Jake Guentzel. [Sportsnet]
- Speaking of which, Carolina traded his rights to Tampa this morning. [Sportsnet]
- The Stars traded Chris Tanev’s rights to the Leafs, and they expect to sign him there. A white whale for the Leafs. [Sportsnet]
- The Leafs are also re-signing Max Domi to a four-year deal. [Twitter]
- The Golden Knights traded Logan Thompson to the Capitals minutes before Thompson started an autograph session with the hometown fans. [NHL]
- The Penguins gave Alex Nedeljkovic a two-year extension. [NHL]
- Cool story: while the Flames weren’t able to land Jarome Iginla’s son, Tij (who went to Utah 6th overall), the Canadiens were able to snag Saku Koivu’s son, Aatos. [Sportsnet]
- Vladimir Tarasenko shared photos of his son in the Stanley Cup from 2019 and now in 2024. [NHL]
- The Ducks and Kings are bringing back old looks this season. [NHL]
