NY Islanders sign Simon Holmstrom to one-year deal

The NY Islanders announced today that they've signed forward Simon Holmstrom to a one-deal for the 2024-25 season.

According to PuckPedia, the contract will pay Holmstrtom $850k, less than his qualifying offer of $874k, giving the Islanders around $50k in cap space.

Holmstrom, 23, played 75 games for the Islanders last season, finishing with 15 goals and 10 assists, with five of those goals coming short-handed- second most in the league only to Travis Konecny's six.

Drafted 23rd overall in 2019, Holmstrom was the last first-round pick the Islanders made until last month when they selected Cole Eiserman with the 20th pick of the first round.

Showing his versatility last season, Holmstrom played up and down the lineup, starting the season on the Islanders' top line alongside Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat. He eventually found a home on the third line, building a chemistry with JG Pageau, which carried over to the penalty kill.

As things currently stand, Holmstrom should be written into the lineup on Oct. 10th when the Islanders open the season against the Utah Hockey Club. The only question is whether he'll be on the third or fourth line.

Though Holmstrom hasn't blossomed into the point-producing forward the Islanders hoped for when they reached for him five years ago, he remains a valuable asset with the potential to play on both special teams units

With around two months until the start of training camp, Lou Lamoriello will surely be making phone calls to other general managers around the league, looking to bolster his roster. Two names that have often been mentioned with a potential trade are Holmstrom and Oliver Wahlstrom.

Wahlstrom is still without a contract, as it's unknown whether he signed his qualifying offer. If he were, the Islanders would need to make a trade to get under the salary cap. As things look, Wahlstrom could be on his way off Long Island.