In this edition of the New York Islanders News & Rumors, we will look at Simon Holmstrom getting a one-year contract extension and what that means for his future. The lack of Islanders’ prospects getting an invite to the Canadian World Junior Summer Showcase (WJSS) team, and lastly, the Bridgeport Islanders are rebranding.
Holmstrom’s Extension
Surprisingly, the Islanders announced a contract extension in mid-July. Given general manager Lou Lamoriello’s reputation, the news doesn’t typically break until the start of training camp. However, they have announced the signing of forward Simon Holmstrom to a one-year deal. The average annual value (AAV) of his new deal is $850,000. Holmstrom agreed to this extension instead of his qualifying offer, which was an AAV of $874,000 and a two-way deal.
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The 23-year-old Swedish native appeared in 75 games last season, scoring 15 goals and 10 assists for 25 points. The season prior, he played in 50 games and had six goals and three assists for nine points. In 125 career NHL games, he has a total of 21 goals and 13 assists for 38 points.
It looks like the Islanders are finally moving on from their famous checking line consisting of Matt Martin, Cal Clutterbuck, and Casey Cizikas. While Cizikas is still under contract, it is clear that they are going to allow their younger forwards a chance to make the team. Holmstrom will have plenty of opportunities to work his way up the lineup and produce like an everyday NHL third-liner this season under head coach Patrick Roy.
Lack of Islanders’ Representation at WJSS
Next up, the World Junior Summer Showcase roster has been released, and well, Islanders’ fans, it is not looking good. It is not to say that the organization doesn’t have good prospects, because they do. However, it seems that the club is lacking Canadian-born prospects. They have players like Jesse Nurmi (Finnish), Calle Odelius (Swedish), and Jesse Pulkkinen (Finnish), all of whom could represent their respective countries at the 2025 World Junior Championship.
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It seems that the Islanders lack a true top prospect, someone like Colby Barlow, Easton Cowan, Tij Iginla, or even Sam Dickinson. These types of players are franchise-altering, and yet the Islanders don’t have one in their system. This goes to show that they have been an above-average team since Noah Dobson was drafted in 2018. On the other hand, there could be a chance that they mismanaged their first-round draft picks and don’t have the top-end prospects to show for it. Going forward, the Islanders will need to try and manage their draft capital better so they can replenish their top-end talent pool.
It seems that the Islanders will continue to push for playoff contention rather than restocking their prospect pool with top talent. Depending on the scouts and their success rate, they may be able to find some diamonds in the rough, similar to how the Toronto Maple Leafs did with current Islanders’ forward Pierre Engvall, who was a seventh-round pick and is now an everyday NHLer.
Bridgeport Islanders Rebrand
Lastly, the Islanders’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, and their rebrand. On July 11, the jerseys were revealed via Twitter/X and look like they took their popular alternate and are making them their full-time jerseys.
The updated version of the logo has some unique details; the Bridgeport portion is now in block letters overtop of the classic Islanders text. Their full-time logo has been changed to the Fisherman logo, which pays homage to New York’s mid-90s Fisherman logo. As for the rest of the jerseys, no changes are being made. The colors are still the same, which are royal blue, orange, and grey, similar to their NHL team’s color scheme.
