Kyle Palmieri re-signing shows Islanders haven’t left the Lou Lamoriello era

When news broke that the New York Islanders re-signed Kyle Palmieri, I groaned and shook my head. While Mathieu Darche announced that bench boss Patrick Roy was coming back, signaling that the Isles weren’t about to rebuild, this was a signing I didn’t see coming. 

Why bring back a past-their-prime forward when you’re in the perfect position to retool, which is different from the dreaded rebuild? A retool basically means you get rid of some older talent, often in exchange for newer, sometimes fresh NHL-ready talent to replace those seasoned veterans. 

So, unless the logic here is to sign Palmieri and then trade him later, it’s something I need to question. But considering he’s on a full no-trade clause in Year 1 of this deal, that trade likely isn’t coming unless the Islanders are on pace for another lottery pick at the 2026 deadline. At which point, Palmieri should have no trouble waiving the clause. 

Re-signing Kyle Palmieri with a full no-trade clause screams Lou Lamoriello

Right now, I’d buy into a conspiracy of Mathieu Darche making roster transactions with Lamoriello, in some distant land, wielding power from behind the scenes following this needless move. Palmieri was part of the “old guard” that never brought a championship to Long Island, and his productivity has been so-so since he came to the Islanders. 

If the Isles want a change in identity, and they need one, Palmieri isn’t the kind of player you want hanging around. Not that it wouldn’t be a good idea to keep a few vets, and I would encourage keeping some around at least until the 2026 offseason. But re-signing them shouldn’t have been on the calling card here. 

Hey, I love it when a franchise seemingly in turmoil is avoiding the dreaded ‘rebuilding’ phase, something that should be a last resort. But the Isles are in dire need of a retool unless they’re fine with slapping a fringe contender label on their luggage, and that’s what Palmieri will help bring. 

I wouldn’t criticize this extension as much if it didn’t come with a no-trade clause in Year 1 and a 16-team modified clause in Year 2. So right now, I’m trying to guess what the logic is going forward. 

The Islanders need a retooling plan and Kyle Palmieri doesn’t need to be involved

Here, Darche could’ve started phasing out those seasoned veterans, starting with Palmieri this season, before moving on from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anders Lee next year. Hopefully, he doesn’t sign them to an extension since they’re both eligible, even if that hasn’t been the case at the time of publication. 

The only real upside I can think of here is that Palmieri’s on a two-year extension, so it’s short-term, and could even be shorter, depending on how the Islanders fare in 2025-26. The bottom line? If you’re basically a fringe contender with Palmieri before, what makes you think he’ll make the situation any better these days?

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