Not Gone Yet: Nino, de Haan survive latest Islanders cuts

Young Islanders hopefuls Nino Niederreiter and Calvin De Haan aren't going back to juniors just yet. The Islanders' latest roster cuts after the conclusion of preseason games pares the quasi-roster down to a healthy um...26 bodies(?), meaning they need to get rid of three-to-four more by Lou's Cap Circumvention Day Wednesday afternoon.

*There is much confusion on this; the team email release said 28 on the roster, the site release says 27, and Andy Hilbert and Calvin de Haan aren't listed on that roster but are not listed as demoted either, while Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo are still on the list without the traditional double-asterisk indicating IR (that comes later).

Regardless, we know where the decisions remain:

Gone (to Bridgeport) but leaving us hopeful for the future: Rhett Rakhshani, David Ullstrom, Travis Hamonic, Mikko Koskinen. The hopeful preseason high in me expects to see all of these youngsters wearing the NYI some time in the next two seasons.

Gone (to Bridgeport) and having fewer shots remaining than the above: Jesse Joensuu (who at lest scored twice this weekend), Justin DiBenedetto (who showed some spark and progress over last year), Dylan Reese (who was a nice callup last year), Mark Katic (who was in front of A-Mac before his injury last year), Tomas Marcinko, Micheal Haley, Rob Hisey, Jeremy Yablonski. All of these guys should be contributors to Bridgeport this year in some form.

All veteran PTO invites (Dean McAmmond, Krys Kolanos, Anders Eriksson, Manny Legace) have been shed and given their participation badges.

No shocks there. The big questions as I see them: At forward, who gets cut among Nino, two-ways Jon Sim, Trevor Gillies, Andy Hilbert (still here, right?) and possibly Matt Martin, or even Euro-out-clause P.A. Parentau? In the back, if the Isles start with eight D, then de Haan must bump a healthy someone (Bruno Gervais?) to stick around. All to come as the Isles roster turns...