After A Busy Week, Islanders GM Mathieu Darche Still Has Several Key Decisions Ahead
After addressing several needs through free agency, Islanders GM Mathieu Darche still has important offseason business to handle.
It happens quickly, but after an exciting week featuring the NHL Draft, development camp, and the opening of free agency, we’ve already reached the dog days of summer.
I’ve got a few vacations planned, but you know me—the daily columns aren’t stopping.
There’s still a ton to talk about between now and when training camp opens in mid-September.
While New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche made it abundantly clear following the season’s end and again leading up to free agency that the roster wasn’t going to look much different, he did exactly what he had to do on July 1.
With goaltender Semyon Varlamov back in the fold as Ilya Sorokin’s backup — the hope is that he can make 25-30 starts — Darche signed veteran netminder Vitek Vanecek to a one-year, $1 million deal as an insurance policy.
No, I don’t think the Islanders are going to go with a three-man goalie system, which means Vanecek will likely be the starter for the Hamilton Hammers, the club’s AHL affiliate.
Instead of going through an expected salary arbitration with Max Shabanov, the Russian whom the Islanders signed last summer but who struggled to stay healthy and ultimately gave the Islanders a big reason to keep him aboard, pivoted and brought in Matias Maccelli, who was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Darche signed Maccelli to a one-year deal worth $2.25 million.
While Maccelli, a fourth-round pick in 2019, still has a lot to prove, he does have the ninth-most points from his draft class, and at just 26, it was a low-risk, high-reward move for Darche, especially given that he’ll be an RFA come season’s end, leaving the door open for him to sign longer term on Long Island.
Darche also addressed his lack of defensive depth, signing big-body right-shot defenseman Matt Kessel to a one-year deal worth $850,000. The 26-year-old could serve as the Islanders’ seventh defenseman or be a big-time player for Hamilton.
What else is on Darche’s to-do list?