Good Morning, Islanders Country.
The opening day of free agency didn’t bring the biggest headline-grabbing splash across the league, but Mathieu Darche’s first July 1 as Islanders General Manager was anything but quiet—and highly efficient.
It was also busy. Very busy.
The Isles made smart, focused moves to address key depth concerns without overspending. First came the re-signing of defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a one-year, $1.75 million deal. Then came the addition of veteran goalie David Rittich, a savvy insurance policy behind Ilya Sorokin amid uncertainty around Semyon Varlamov’s health.
The biggest internal move? Locking in Simon Holmström to a two-year, $3.5 million AAV contract after a breakout 20-goal season. The 23-year-old winger remains cost-controlled while offering top-nine versatility and untapped upside.
The biggest market move? Darche made waves by signing veteran left-winger Jonathan Drouin to a two-year contract worth $4 million per season, bolstering their top-six depth and power-play potential.
While the Isles didn’t chase marquee names, Darche’s deliberate approach was clear: retain key pieces, plug strategic holes, and keep flexibility intact. In a market prone to overpaying, the Isles stayed disciplined, setting the tone for what could be a patient, smartly constructed offseason. One day in, Darche is showing he’s not afraid to act—and not rushing to act for the sake of headlines.
This is what a measured retool looks like.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: The Islanders' biggest Day 1 splash was signing Jonathan Drouin to a two-year deal. Darche emphasized the winger's elite power-play ability, noting his 125 career PP points — including 31 in his two seasons with Colorado. “We wanted to bring a bit of talent up front, especially to help the power play,” Darche said. With 12 PP points last season in just 43 games, Drouin would’ve tied for the team lead. He’s expected to slot into the top six and make an immediate impact on an Islanders unit that finished 31st on the man advantage.
◾️FLEXIBILITY IS A THEME: Darche praised Drouin’s versatility, as the 30-year-old can play both wing and center. That gives the Isles more flexibility in deploying Mathew Barzal and reshaping the top six. “It’s a big asset when players aren’t pigeonhole into one position,” Darche noted.
Rittich Reinforces the Crease
Veteran goalie David Rittich was brought in on a one-year deal to stabilize the goaltending depth, especially as Semyon Varlamov continues to rehab from knee surgery. “You can never have enough goalies,” Darche said. Rittich brings 230 games of NHL experience and ranks top-30 in wins since 2017-18.
DeAngelo Returns on One-Year Deal
Tony DeAngelo is back after a productive 39-game stint last season (19 points). With Noah Dobson gone, DeAngelo will likely quarterback the top power-play unit. “He could run a power play, so we’re excited to bring him back,” Darche said.
DeAngelo is going to provide some of Dobson's offensive production, but the problem is that he's a poor defender in his zone. As evident as that is with the eye test, it’s even more so with advanced analytics. Isles will pick their spots on how to use TDA, and he can’t log the type of top-pair minutes he did last season.
Simon Holmström Locks In Two-Year, $3.5M AAV Deal
The Islanders confirmed the signing of rising winger Simon Holmström, fresh off his first 20-goal NHL season (20 G, 25 A in 75 games). His new contract reflects confidence in his continued offensive and two-way contributions. Now with a cap hit of $3.5M AAV, Holmström has two seasons to cement his role— Islanders fans will be watching closely.
Last season, Holmström brought consistent energy and versatility, playing on the wing, contributing on the power play, and logging crucial minutes down the stretch. He has also shown the ability to score shorthanded, demonstrating a chemistry with JG Pageau when playing a man down. His ability to blend scoring with hustle defined him as one of the Isles’ emerging young forwards.
Ink Trio to NHL Two-Way Deals
The Isles added three depth pieces to the NHL/AHL mix on Tuesday:
Matthew Highmore, 29, signs after a journeyman career with four NHL teams and two AHL All-Star nods. A proven AHL leader, Highmore adds depth and versatility to the forward position.
Ethan Bear, 28, brings a solid résumé with 275 NHL games and strong two-way play. Bear led Hershey in scoring from the blue line last season and was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team. He’s also a long-time close friend of Mathew Barzal, after the two played for the Seattle Thunderbirds during their WHL Championship season in 2017. “Ethan was one of my best friends for four years in junior,” Barzal told NHLPA.com in 2015.
Cole McWard, 24, joins after helping Abbotsford win the 2025 Calder Cup. A right-shot defenseman with upside, he adds competition to the Islanders’ bottom pair and Bridgeport roster.
AHL Contracts Bolster Bridgeport
Bridgeport’s roster also got a facelift with several one-year AHL deals:
Chris Terry, the franchise’s all-time points and assists leader, is back for his fourth season. The 36-year-old is an elite AHL scorer and mentor.
Max Dorrington, Cam Berg, Ross Mitton, Hunter Drew, and Luke Rowe round out the class. Notably, Berg and Mitton scored in their pro debuts this past spring, while Drew brings toughness and a scoring touch (15 goals in Tucson last season).
🎧 Islanders Anxiety: Touched Every Emotion “There's so much to discuss that it's easy to forget that the Islanders drafted Matthew Schaefer - the No. 1 rated prospect in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, a singular defenseman and an exemplary human - first overall. Schaefer's introduction to Long Island has already been an event, and he hasn't even played a game for them yet.”
🔗 Blockbuster signing confirms the New York Islanders aren't rebuilding by Todd Matthews, Eyes on Isles “It also all but confirms, not that we needed anymore confirmation, that there will be no rebuild taking place in the not-so-distant future. Drouin didn't light up the scoreboard for the Colorado Avalanche last season, putting up just 11 goals, but he posted 37 points in 43 regular season contests.”
And we leave you with this…Alexander Romanov’s message to Islanders fans (in two languages)
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Threading the Needle is the correct Analogy pertaining to what Darche is attempting to with this organization.