The New York Islanders sent qualifying offers to five of their six pending restricted free agents a few weeks ago. Ruslan Iskhakov elected not to put pen to paper, deciding that going to the KHL made more sense.
Simon Holmstrom inked a one-way, one-year deal instead of his two-way QO, while Tyce Thompson accepted his.
Oliver Wahlstrom elected not to sign, filing for arbitration instead–his case to be brought before an arbitrator on Aug. 1.
On Wednesday, Dennis Cholowski signed a one-year, two-way deal deal worth $775,000 at the NHL level and $250,000 at the AHL level.
His qualifying offer was $813,750.
Losing Cholowski would have been a tough pill for Bridgeport to swallow.
The former 20th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings at the 2016 NHL Draft was coming off a strong second season in Bridgeport.
In 68 games, he scored seven goals with 24 assists for 31 points, playing big minutes.
In his first season in Bridgeport, 2022-23, Cholowski recorded point points (38) in one fewer game (67) but only had one goal with 37 assists.
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Now, personnel-wise, the Islanders had a handful of left-shot defensemen in Isaiah George, Calle Odelius, Marshall Warren, and potentially 2024 second-round pick Jesse Pulkkinen, who signed his three-year entry-level deal.
But veteran leadership-wise, losing Cholowski, especially with the loss of Paul LaDue and potentially their long-time leader, Seth Helgeson, would have left a leadership void on the backend in a year where it’s definitely needed.
If there’s an injury at the NHL level, Samuel Bolduc, as the team’s current seventh defenseman, would get called upon.
Related: How Sebastian Aho’s Departure Affects Samuel Bolduc’s Role With Islanders
But if another player goes down or Bolduc struggles mightily, a player like George, Odelius, or the handful of other youngster blue-liners in Bridgeport are not ready just yet, while Cholowski is in a position to be recalled if need be.
Yes, Grant Hutton, who has NHL experience, could be the first call-up over Cholowski, but Cholowski plays on the power play.
Having Cholowski will allow the newcomers an opportunity to settle in rather than immediately putting them into high-leverage roles without much, if any, professional experience.
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