Islanders News & Rumors: Dobson, Tsyplakov, Romanov, DeAngelo

The New York Islanders have missed the playoffs and will be shifting their focus to the 2025-26 season as they look to make it back to the postseason after an underwhelming 2024-25 campaign. They have some players they will need to re-sign, but should have some money to spend in the offseason as well if they choose to be aggressive in free agency. While the Islanders aren’t known to be overly aggressive, they may not have a choice after struggling to find ways to win during the regular season. In this edition of Islanders News & Rumors, we take a look at the potential contract statuses of a few pending free agents and touch on the future of Lou Lamoriello.

Romanov, Dobson Extensions Expected

In a recent article with The Athletic, Arthur Staple answered some questions about the potential contract terms for Alexander Romanov and Noah Dobson. When referring to Dobson, Staple wrote:

Despite Dobson’s lousy season, he still has some value as a 25-year-old top-four defenseman. Maybe we’re not looking at an eight-year extension worth $10 million per any more, given his performance this season, but perhaps a 4- to 5-year deal worth $7.5 million to $8 million instead.

source – ‘Dobson’s next contract, trading a defenseman, Lamoriello’s future: Islanders mailbag, part 1’ – Arthur Staple – The Athletic – 04/16/2025

About Romanov, he added:

I could see them going long with Romanov, whose game still has lots of room to grow. If they went to 6 to 7 years at around $6.5 million to $7 million AAV, that might be a decent deal for both sides. Anything on the shorter side probably comes in around $6 million AAV for Romanov.

Dobson finished the season with 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points through 71 games, while Romanov finished the season with four goals and added 16 assists for 20 points through 64 games. Both defenders are pending restricted free agents (RFA) and could be in for huge raises, but nothing has come to fruition just yet. In a summer where the risk of offer sheets is higher, the Islanders may have to make a decision sooner rather than later on both players.

Related: Retool? Rebuild? Teardown? What’s the Best Path For the Islanders

Staple added in his article that if the Islanders chose to make trades, Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock might be the players that find themselves on the block.

No Update on Tsyplakov, DeAngelo

The Islanders also have to figure out their plans with forward Maxim Tsyplakov, who signed an entry-level deal to join the team this season, as well as Tony DeAngelo, who left the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) midway through the season to return to the NHL. Tsyplakov is a pending RFA while DeAngelo is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), and while fans seemed to like both players, there haven’t been any updates in terms of what the team plans to do with them moving forward.

It’s safe to assume both players could have options in the KHL if they wanted to play there, but time will tell what ends up happening with them.

Is Lou Lamoriello Staying?

Fans have criticized Lamoriello’s lack of aggression in previous seasons, both during free agency and at the trade deadline, and some around the league have begun to wonder if he will remain in his role as general manager and president of hockey operations for the 2025-26 season. In a recent article from NYI Hockey Now, the question of Lamoriello’s future was discussed as fans await to see if the team is ready to move on and make some changes.

While no reports have come out that the Islanders are considering relieving him of his duties, his future may be in question after yet another season that lacked success. As of right now, things seem to be status quo, but anything can change at any moment, and teams could start making some changes if they plan to, before the 2025 NHL Entry Draft comes around, even earlier if they want to see an overhaul.

As the 2024-25 postseason moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news from around the NHL and the hockey world.