The New York Islanders made two moves at the start of free agency, signing Anthony Duclair and re-signing Mike Reilly to team-friendly deals. Duclair was presumably brought in to join Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat on the first line, adding a speedy winger with the upside of 25 goals. Reilly was brought back to play alongside Scott Mayfield and on the powerplay. While both moves help the team, the Islanders failed to address last season’s struggles in the bottom six. With many free agents still available, who could they target?
Dominik Kubalik
The Islanders do not have much money, an estimated $1 million in cap space to be exact, to spend, so barring a trade, they will need to target depth options. The first name that stands out is Dominik Kubalik. He has 93 goals and 176 points in 357 career regular season games, split across three teams. In his five seasons, he has a career-high of 30 goals and 46 points, both set during his rookie season. Since then, he has struggled to stay in lineups due to his defensive play. With the Islanders in no need of adding another defensive-oriented forward, he is a dream fit.
With most top scorers off the market, Kubalik has flown under the radar due to his underwhelming 2023-24 season where he scored just 11 goals and four assists in 74 games. With that, the Islanders should swoop in to sign him to a one-year deal, likely around the $1 million mark. This is following the framework of former Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson. He has broken the 20-goal threshold three times in his career but scored just seven goals last season. He signed with the Vegas Golden Knights on a one-year deal at $1.075 million. His contract came in so low not only due to his recent struggles but also concerns that he cannot contribute at even strength.
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Kubalik would join the Islanders’ middle six. He would see time on the second line alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, taking Pierre Engvall’s spot. Head coach Patrick Roy will need to gauge if Kubalik is a good presence during the season because he could see similar struggles to Engvall, whose inconsistency held the line back last season. The more likely scenario would be to see Kubalik join the third line. The team’s bottom six lacks shooting talent, so playing him alongside players like Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Simon Holmstrom, and Casey Cizikas would fill a need the team desperately needs.
Kailer Yamamoto
While just 25 years old, Kailer Yamamoto’s career has been on the decline over the past few seasons. He scored 20 goals in the 2021-22 season for the Edmonton Oilers and followed it up with 10 goals before losing his role in the lineup. He proceeded to sign with the Seattle Kraken, scoring just eight goals before being let go in free agency. Now looking to join his third team in three years, the Islanders would be a good fit.
The Islanders’ biggest weakness in the bottom six is a lack of offensive upside, and Yamamoto would provide just that. He would likely be signed to a one-year deal around $1 million and join the bottom six. It would make sense to see him alongside Pageau, Holmstrom, or Engvall, although he would be a better fit on the fourth line alongside Cizikas and Maxim Tsyplakov. All three are sneaky-good goal scorers, possessing the skill to score north of 10 goals across the season. While they may not throw the body around, this revamped fourth line would provide scoring from an area the Islanders have previously struggled.
Jakub Vrana
The Islanders should be cautious in pursuing Jakub Vrana, but he could be a great fit. The 28-year-old is a Stanley Cup champion and a two-time 20-goal scorer. Despite playing only 72 NHL games over the past three seasons, he remains productive. He could likely be signed for the league minimum and rise the ranks within the organization. If he underperforms in the preseason, he can be placed on waivers without counting towards the salary cap. Signing Vrana would be a low-risk, high-reward move for the Islanders, offering upside from a position the team would not otherwise get.
Aidan McDonough
It is understandable if you have never heard of Aidan McDonough. The 24-year-old, left wing was a 2019 seventh-round pick by the Vancouver Canucks. He spent four seasons at Northeastern University, scoring 66 goals and 124 points over 124 games. He was captain in his final season.
Following McDonough’s senior season, he signed a two-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks. He scored one goal in six NHL games before spending the entirety of the 2023-24 season in the American Hockey League (AHL), scoring 11 goals and eight assists in 58 games. He was not given a qualifying offer in 2024, thus leading him to unrestricted free agency.
While McDonough’s point production is worrisome, he was on a stacked Abbotsford Canucks’ roster that contained a handful of NHL-caliber forwards, including former Islanders’ prospect Aatu Raty. This led to low ice time for McDonough. If signed by the Islanders, he would begin the season with the Bridgeport Islanders but be a candidate for a call-up if an injury occurred.
McDonough excels on the power play, but on a team like Abbotsford, he struggled to get time with the man advantage. In Bridgeport, this wouldn’t be an issue, as he would likely join the top power-play unit. His long reach and physical play style would complement current Bridgeport forwards like Matthew Maggio and William Dufour. He could help address the team’s power play struggles, which are an issue at all levels of the Islanders organization. Although it might be hard to get excited about a potential minor-league addition, McDonough would be a valuable free-agent target for the Islanders, with the potential to quickly develop into an NHL forward.
It is clear the Islanders’ current roster is too similar to last season, so change should still be a priority. While any change would likely improve the forward core, the Islanders should target these four players if they want to make significant, cost-effective changes that fill needs.
