New York Islanders send clear message on Day 1 of NHL free agency

The New York Islanders followed up their slam dunk 2025 NHL Draft with an even better first day of free agency on July 1.

Islanders GM Mathieu Darche sent an emphatic message that the team is not rebuilding. If anything, the signings on Tuesday reflect a mindset committed to winning.

So, let’s take a look at the day’s activity and see how each of these new players fits into the overall scheme of the New York Islanders’ lineup heading into the 2025-26 season.

Assessing New York Islanders roster retool on Day 1 of NHL free agency

Islanders bolster blue line

After signing Alexander Romanov to an eight-year extension, the Isles followed it up by signing two key depth defensemen. First, the club re-upped Tony DeAngelo on a one-year, $1.75 million contract.

This deal makes sense as DeAngelo was a solid mid-season pickup for the Islanders last season. DeAngelo is still relatively young at 29 and will be motivated to play well next season to earn one more multi-year deal. While I’m not thrilled at the AAV, it’s all right given how the value DeAngelo could bring to the table.

Then, the Isles added Ethan Bear to the mix on a one-year $775K deal. This is a low-risk, high-reward proposition. The Islanders could get an equally motivated player. Bear spent last season with the Hershey Bears, scoring 10 goals and adding 46 points in 62 games. That performance was good enough to earn him one more kick at the NHL can. Bear likely slots in as a seventh defenseman, who offers NHL experience.

Overall, the New York Islanders did a solid job of bolstering the blue line with experienced players. If the Isles’ blue line once again befallen by injuries, there will be solid NHLers looking to fill in.

Isles add goaltending insurance

At first, the signing of David Rittich to a one-year, $1 million deal seemed like a head-scratcher. But upon closer inspection, Rittich is goaltending insurance for the Islanders.

Now, I don’t want to speculate, but this signing seems to signal that Semyon Varlamov may not be ready to go come training camp. Rittich is not likely going to start the season in the AHL, and the Islanders won’t carry three goalies.

So, Rittich likely slots in as Ilya Sorokin’s backup. Perhaps we’ll know more about Varlamov’s injury situation later on this summer.

Also, the depth behind Sorokin is a little concerning. Marcus Hogberg, who played well at times last season, could be a backup. However, he proved he’s not quite ready for prime time.

But after Hogberg, things get really thin. The Isles have two young goaltenders in Tristan Lennox and Henrik Tikkanen, and unfortunately, neither has shown they are ready for the NHL, at least not yet.

All in all, adding Rittich was a solid move. If he starts the season as Sorokin’s backup, the team can rest assured that there’s a backup who can play 20 to 30 games next season.

Islanders get secondary scoring up front

I’ll be honest, I’m not thrilled at the Simon Holmstrom's new contract. Firstly, I think it’s too short. The club could have made a longer bet on Holmstrom. Second, the AAV is a little high. But then again, Holmstrom scored 20 goals last season and seems to have finally found his footing at the NHL level.

If Holmstrom can follow up last year’s performance with another 20+ goal season, this deal will look like a steal. Additionally, the two-year contract makes sense for both sides. On the one hand, the Isles don’t make a long-term commitment to a player who may not live up to expectations in the end. On the other hand, Holmstrom has a chance to prove he’s worth a multi-year deal.

Ultimately, it’s a win-win for both player and team.

The most surprising signing of the day was former first-round pick Jonathan Drouin. Drouin spent the last couple of seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. He joined the Islanders on a two-year, $8 million contract.

That’s not a bad deal, but Drouin comes with a couple of question marks. Firstly, Drouin hadn’t found his scoring touch until he played alongside Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado. So, was Drouin’s resurgence a product of playing with MacKinnon? Or has Drouin finally found his scoring touch?

Secondly, Drouin has been set back by injuries. Last season, he missed nearly half of the season with assorted upper-body injuries. But when he played, he was solid. He scored 11 goals and added 37 points in 43 games. He notched three assists in seven postseason games.

Like other signings on day one of NHL free agency, the New York Islanders landed a low-risk, high-reward proposition. The 30-year-old has bounced around the league on one-year deals the last three or four seasons. This two-year deal with the Islanders could be the stepping stone to one last multi-year contract before his playing days are done.