New York Islanders News

Heineman had two SOG and three hits in 9:40 TOI in the Canadiens season opener but was a healthy scratch in their second game. He'll replace Alex Barré-Boulet on the fourth line on Saturday.

Kessel will get the night off on Friday after playing in each of the Blues' first two games of the season. Pierre-Olivier Joseph will draw into the lineup and make his Blues debut.

Patrick Roy favored Varlamov last season after taking over the Islanders' head coaching duties and appears to be doing so again, likely turning to Varlamov for consecutive games to start the season. The 36-year-old Varlamov was great last season, posting a 2.60 GAA and .918 SV% in 28 games (14-8-4), but struggled in the Islanders season opener on Thursday, allowing five goals on 26 shots (.808 SV%) in 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club.

Oliver Kapanen will draw into the Canadiens lineup for his NHL debut on Thursday, resulting in Heineman being a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old Heineman playing 9:40 time-on-ice in his season debut last night, recording two shots and two penalty minutes.

Sorokin underwent back surgery in the offseason and, despite being ready to play, will serve as the backup to Semyon Varlamov in the Islanders' season opener on Thursday. Last season, after Patrick Roy became head coach of the Islanders, Sorokin's workload decreased dramatically. Sorokin had a poor campaign by his standards, posting a 3.01 GAA and .908 SV%, and will need to improve to his Vezina-caliber numbers of years past if he plans to regain the trust of the coach as one of the premier netminders in the league.

Ilya Sorokin has fully recovered from offseason back surgery but will start the season backing up Varlamov, as he did for much of the stretch run and into the playoffs last season. Varlamov has a report with head coach Patrick Roy from their days with the Colorado Avalanche and could find himself in a position to garner more starts again this season if his play warrants it. The 36-year-old Varlamov is coming off a solid 2023-24 campaign, posting a .260 GAA and .918 SV% in 28 games (14-8-4).

Palat was away from the team for several days to attend to the birth of his child and should be ready for their next contest on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 33-year-old Palat is in his third season with the Devils and is coming off his lowest full-season production campaign, scoring only 31 points (11G / 20A) in 71 games.

Sorokin missed the start of training camp after undergoing offseason back surgery but GM Lou Lamoriello said that "he's ready" for the start of the season. It's still unclear if Sorokin or Semyon Varlamov will get the start but it's good news that Sorokin won't miss any time to start the year.

Bear was placed on waivers Friday but cleared on Saturday and has been loaned to the Hershey Bears (AHL) for the start of the 2024-25 season. The 27-year-old is in the second year of a two-year, $4.13 million contract and had a goal, four points and 10 PIMs in 24 games played in 2023-24.

Kurtis MacDermid will make his season debut in Palat's absence as he leaves the team for the birth of his second child. Palat managed to stick around for the Devils' season opener in Prague and had no points, and one SOG across 13:46 TOI.

Sorokin's return date is still unclear after the 29-year-old successfully underwent back surgery in the offseason. However, he had some incredibly positive signs on Thursday after he returned to Islanders' practice in full for the first time. The four-year NHL veteran claimed he felt good during the skate and is hopeful to be back shortly. Sorokin endured one of the roughest seasons of his professional career in 2023-24, posting a 25-19-12 record with a 3.01 GAA and .909 SV%.

Islanders' GM Lou Lamoriello said that Sorokin could miss the first couple of days of training camp but there's no concern about his injury extending into the regular season. Sorokin will be looking to bounce-back in 2024-25, after posting career worsts in GAA (3.01) and SV% (.908) in 56 games last season.

Holmstrom waited to sign his contract after heading into the offseason as a RFA and has agreed on a one-year, $850,000 contract with New York on Tuesday. The 23-year-old right-winger was New York's 2019 1st round pick (23rd overall) and had a solid second NHL season in 2023-24 with 15 goals, 25 points, 72 SOG and 14 PIMs in 75 games played.

The Islanders selected Pulkkinen with the No.54 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old blueliner spent most of 2024 in Finland's top league, posting eight points (2G / 6A) in 29 games with JYP Jyväskylä.

Ritchie was the No.27 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old forward had 80 points (28G / 52A) in 50 games with the Oshawa Generals (OHL) last season and added another 30 points (8G / 22A) in 21 playoff games.

Duclair will join his ninth NHL team in 11 seasons after he signed a four-year deal worth $14.0 million ($3.5M AAV) with the Islanders on Monday. The 28-year-old went on a nice run with Tampa Bay after being acquired at last year's trade deadline, with 15 points in 17 games to add to his 24 goals and 42 points in 73 games played on the season.

MacLean made his NHL debut in 2023-24 and has earned himself a three-year, contract extension with the New York Islanders on Wednesday. The 25-year-old spent time in 2023-24 split between the Bridgeport Islanders (43 GP) and New York (32 GP) and had four goals and nine assists with the Islanders during his inaugural NHL season.

Chaffee was expected to be an unrestricted free agent come summer but has been re-signed by Tampa Bay for a two-year, $1.6 million ($800,000 AAV) contract extension on Thursday. The 26-year-old made his NHL debut in 2021-22 but played 30 of his 32 career games this season with Tampa Bay, picking up seven points (4G/3A) in 30 games played in 2023-24.