Marc Gatcomb earns one-way deal amid crowded NY Islanders forward group

The New York Islanders have signed forward Marc Gatcomb to a one-year, one-way contract worth $900,000, the team announced Sunday, avoiding arbitration. The 25-year-old, who turns 26 later this month, secures his first career one-way NHL deal following a surprising breakout in 2024-25.

Gatcomb is far from a household name, even amongst Islanders fans. However, he did make himself known to the hockey world when he scored twice in the nationally televised game against the Washington Capitals, when Alexander Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal-scoring record at UBS Arena.

Signed as AHL depth last summer, Gatcomb exceeded all expectations by appearing in 39 games for the Islanders after a January call-up. He became a fixture on the fourth line late in the season, delivering reliable physicality and timely scoring. Despite averaging under 10 minutes per night (9:47), he racked up 149 hits — second-most on the team — and chipped in eight goals, finishing with an impressive (if likely unsustainable) 19.5 shooting percentage.

The UCONN product signed with the Islanders after three seasons with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, where he posted 28 points in 112 games. He added nine goals and 17 points in 35 games for Bridgeport last season, producing well on one of the AHL’s lowest-scoring teams.

You just try to play simple and not mess up, in a sense. I feel like in college I found my identity and found my role," he said back in January after his call-up. "My coach at UCONN was great, working with me and just telling me what I needed to bring every night and what I needed to do to succeed. A lot of credit to him. Just trying to not veer from the player I am and bring that consistency and my identity every night.” That's essentially what he stayed true to throughout last season.

Gatcomb will now try to parlay that progress into a full-time NHL role out of training camp, though the competition is steep. The Islanders’ forward group has grown deeper this offseason with the additions of Jonathan Drouin, Maxim Shabanov, and Emil Heineman, and returning depth options like Pierre Engvall and Maxim Tsplakov also stand in his way.

With Gatcomb signed, the Islanders have six contract slots remaining, one of which is expected to go to Tsyplakov, who recently filed for salary arbitration.