The New York Islanders may not have any cap space to add players at this moment, but nothing is stopping them from signing free agents for professional tryouts.
It’s actually something that we could see happen with Matt Martin, as the unrestricted free agent has yet to receive a contract from the Islanders.
Related: An Update From Matt Martin
PTOs help increase competition at training camps while also allowing clubs to evaluate players before inking them to contracts.
The Islanders brought in Jackson Cates on a PTO last summer, but the forward didn’t make the team, playing in 12 Bridgeport games before eventually being released.
There were rumors that Filip Zadina, the Detroit Red Wings’ former sixth overall pick in 2018, was signing a PTO with the Buffalo Sabres, but ESPN’s Kevin Weekes debunked the report:
Could it benefit the Islanders to bring Zadina in?
The 24-year-old was placed on waivers by the Red Wings in July of 2023 before being claimed by the San Jose Sharks.
With San Jose, Zadina scored 13 goals with 10 assists for 23 points, his highest goal production of his short NHL career.
It’s not as if teams are lining up to acquire his skillset, as he hasn’t lived up to his potential.
And if you look at the Islanders roster of depth forwards, it’s as long as a CVS receipt (in no particular order):
But can you ever have enough competition?
Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello will not bring in a player on a PTO if he doesn’t think that player can help the group.
But it wasn’t as if Cates was a front-runner to win an NHL job last year.
The Islanders had a solid offseason, signing top-six forward Anthony Duclair to a four-year deal worth $3.5 million annually to play alongside Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal.
They found a way to bring in Maxim Tsyplakov, the top available European free agent at a cap hit of $950,000 (entry-level deal), who could be a solid middle-six scoring forward.
Related: Islanders Newcomer Maxim Tsyplakov Not Coming To North America Alone
The Islanders’ best-transitioning defenseman, Mike Reilly, came back on a one-year, $1.25 million deal.
And to top things off, the Islanders used all of their draft picks at the 2024 NHL Draft to revamp a weak prospect pool, with Cole Eiserman the big get at No. 20.
But getting another top-six winger would have made this a tremendously strong offseason for Lamoriello’s Islanders.
Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers could have been the guy, but the forward rumored to be on the move is still with his old squad and likely will stay there until the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, if he’s moved at all.
Getting another top-six forward will allow other players to slot into roles that more closely match their skillset.
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This is not to say that Zadina could be a second-line or third-line winger for the Islanders.
But on the off-chance he gels with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri on the club’s second line or Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau on the third line — projected, of course — that would allow a player like Pierre Engvall to play on the fourth line or allow a player like Tsyplakov to get accustomed to the NHL game in a more North-South role in limited minutes, rather than throwing him into the fire in a much greater role.
The odds that Zadina would make the Islanders’ roster are slim, but that’s the point in PTOs.
The team can take a look, and if they don’t think that player is good enough, they can release him, a low-risk, high-reward move.
Zadina has a lot to prove.
It may help that Zadina played with Duclair in San Jose this past season to get him to sign a PTO with the Islanders.
He’s not a need in camp, but a player who got drafted as high as he was is certainly worth a look, even if it’s just for a week or two.
What say you?
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