Update on Islanders prospects that need/needed to be signed this year

Teams don't keep prospects on the books forever. After drafting a player, NHL teams have a defined period to sign that player to an NHL deal or they'll lose that player's NHL rights. Going into the offseason the New York Islanders had five such players they had to sign or they'd lose them. Here's an update on those six guys.

If you want to know how long a team has a drafted prospect on their reserve list, you can look at the NHL's CBA under section 8.6 (a).

New York Islanders prospects that need/needed to be signed this year

Logan Cockerill (Boston University) | Lose Rights: August 15
The Islanders haven't signed Cockerill just yet. And honestly, I'm kind of surprised about it. The Islanders have a thing for signing captains and well Cockerill has been BU's captain for two years now.

His a fifth year college player who may not put up many points (his best was 20 points during his freshman year), but he's a solid two way player. A quality the Isles also have "a thing for".

Maybe the Islanders won't sign him. Again he doesn't exactly score a lot and he's the type of guy the Isles already have in the org. They've got till August 15 to make it happen.

William Dufour (Saint John Sea Dogs) | Lose Rights: June 1
Through 66 regular-season games, Dufour put up 56 goals and 116 points. He smashed the Saint John Sea Dogs' previous record for goals and points in a single season. Getting Dufour signed was a must for the Islanders.

They waited a little while, but thankfully, got it done before the June 1 date. The Isles signed Dufour on April 21 to a three-year ELC.

The next step for Dufour is to help his club can hoist the CHL's Memorial Cup before officially going pro and joining the Bridgeport Islanders.

Ruslan Iskhakov (Adler Mannheim) | Lose Rights: June 1
Boy did the Islanders cut it close with this one. They had until June 1 to sign Iskahkov (a 2018 second-round pick) and they only got the deal done on May 25.

That deal is a two-year ELC. I know usually it's a three-year ELC for prospects, but Iskhakov is 21 and based on the CBA they can only sign him for two years.

If you don't know who Iskhakov is, this is the "Cole's notes" if you will of his game.
-Hyper-creative
-Pass first
-Undersized (5'8", 165lbs)
-Center (probably a better winger)

Christian Krygier (MSU) | Lose Rights: August 15
The left-handed defenseman has decided to play a fifth year at the college level. He had his most productive year last season with eight points in 36 games. I know, that's not a lot of production, but Krygier is a shutdown physical defenseman. He's not going to light the lamp.

He entered the transfer portal earlier in the offseason but couldn't find a new home so he decided to stick with MSU one more year. What that means for his deployment remains to be seen. But in terms of his "lose rights" date, that's pushed back another year to Aug. 15, 2023.

Ben Mirageas (Providence) | Lose Rights: August 15
I don't think the Isles will sign him before they lose his NHL rights. Mirageas mysteriously left Providence halfway through his fifth year of college hockey.

The Isles have had ample time to get Mirageas signed to an NHL contract but haven't done so yet. That tells me they won't and his NHL rights with the Isles will just expire.

Jacob Pivonka (Omaha) | Lose Rights: August 15
Just like Krygier, Pivonka entered the transfer portal. But unlike Krygier, Pivonka found a new home in Omaha-Nebraska. He'll join fellow Islanders prospect Cameron Berg where Pivonka will play in his fifth year of college hockey.

So the Isles won't lose his NHL right, they'll be pushed back to August 15 of 2023.