On the New York Islanders …
Arthur Staple: Islanders head scout on goalie prospect Linus Soderstrom: “One more year in Sweden and I think we have an NHL goaltender.”
Arthur Staple: Head scout on goalie prospect Ilya Sorokin – are hopeful that he’ll come to North America after next season but it’s not a sure thing.
Arthur Staple of Newsday: Before the New York Islanders traded defenseman Travis Hamonic to the Calgary Flames, they had an offer to the Colorado Avalanche for Matt Duchene – Hamonic and a 2018 1st round pick as part of the deal.
While the offer was made to Avs GM Joe Sakic, GM Garth Snow was trying to get two first round picks from teams like the Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs reportedly offered the Islanders a package including James van Riemsdyk and a 2018 first round pick.
Snow decide to just go with draft picks and use the cap savings to eventually re-sign Calvin de Haan and keep his options open.
Two sources saying that Duchene’s agent Pat Brisson is not happy with the Sakic dragging his feet. It may lead to a lower asking price later on.
“Over the course of the last few days, five days, there was a few different scenarios where it was about potential players coming in or draft picks. We weighed what the best deal was for our team and we pulled the trigger,” Snow said of the Hamonic trade. “It’s going to give some of our younger D an opportunity to get some playing time. We’re really confident in that position moving forward.
“This was a situation we felt we could capitalize on bringing in some assets, whether we use those in the future in a draft or use those as currency in a future player transaction. It’s a good luxury for our organization to have.”