Islanders three takeaways from training camp roster

Today was the first day of on-ice work for the New York Islanders 2021 training camp. Here are three important takeaways from day one.

The New York Islanders officially released their 2021 training camp rosters today. GM Lou Lamoriello told us he’d invite 21 forwards, 12 defensemen, and four goalies. And while that’s no exactly what happened (they invited 22 forward) we got to see who the Isles thought had a chance to make the NHL in 2021.

Here’s the official 2021 New York Islanders training camp roster.

But looking at the 38 players invited to camp, there are a few interesting takeaways that I figured needed to be addressed more.

RFAs

Mathew Barzal was named to the Islanders 2021 training camp. *gasp*

If anyone was still concerned that a deal might not get done between the New York Islanders and their star center this should give you a positive shot in the arm.

They want him here, and he in turn wants to be here. Why else would he be on Long Island already? If he didn’t want to be here, he’d be somewhere else. See the Pierre-Luc Dubois situation with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

A deal will be done by January 14.

The only other RFA on the Islanders roster is Dmytro Timashov. The forward acquired from the Detroit Red Wings for Future Considerations skated with the second group at camp. The fact that he was on the ice participating suggests that he has signed a contract with the Islanders. What that contact looks like remains to be seen but when we see it, it should shed some light on what the Isles plans are for the former fifth-round pick in 2015.

Simon Holmstrom

Simon Holmstrom, who’s World Junior Championship tournament just came to an end, will have to quarantine before he can report to camp. He’s going to miss a good portion of camp. The fact that Holmstrom is coming from the Edmonton bubble may speed things up for his quarantine.

That Holmstrom was invited shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise. The Islanders clearly like their 2019 first-round pick and want to give him as much time around the NHL as possible. But also consider what Lou said in regards to Josh Ho-Sang.

So taking Lou at his word that players making the training camp roster have a shot at the taxi squad means Holmstrom could stick with the Isles until the AHL resumes on February 5. That would be one heck of a 2020-21 year for Holmstrom.

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Andrew Ladd

Andrew Ladd was named to the roster and even skated with group 2 today. That could mean the 15-year NHL veteran isn’t going to find his way to LTIR. Although that’s not a guarantee.

Back in 2015, Stephane Robidas was named to the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp roster and even played in three pre-season games for the Leafs. And as we all know, Robidas was placed on LTIR that season by then-GM Lou Lamoriello.