Islanders News: Eberle decides to stick around

Folks, apologies for the delay in these Bits. Duty called, or something like that. But here we are, in the glow of some more good news from the ever-stealthy Islanders front office under Lou Lamoriello.

Today’s afternoon Bits, which will likely serve as tomorrow’s as well, unless some more major news breaks, largely concern the excellent job done by Lamoriello in getting one more of his pending UFAs under contract at a reasonable price and term.

Eberle Extends His Stay on Long Island

• That pending UFA, of course, is Jordan Eberle, the player among the four major UFAs that was assumed least likely to stay. It’s a five-year deal that was revealed to have a $5.5 million AAV. He’s taking one fewer year and $500,000 less than his previous contract to remain here. [LHH | Islanders]
• He sees in the Islanders what his buddy John Tavares could not. Not to mention, he and his wife love Long Island, and he also said it’s not a secret among his fellow NHL players that Long Island is a really fun place to play. You think Artemi Panarin agrees, Jordan? [Newsday]
• He is excited to stick with the tight-knit group of teammates he has on the Island, saying that he “really found [his] niche with this team.” Mathew Barzal is happy to have him back, too, as you’ll see in this article. I’m a big fan of Eberle, and I’m glad not only that he’s sticking around, but that he feels at home here. [Islanders]
• What does his extension mean for the Islanders plans this year? And what does it mean for the other two pending UFAs, Anders Lee and Robin Lehner? [The Athletic]
• LISTEN: Most of his quotes in the above articles came from a conference call he held with reporters, which you can listen to here. But he also went on the Power Play with Steve Kouleas on Sirius XMNHL, where he reiterated many of the same things. [SoundCloud]

Other Islanders Bits

• LISTEN: A new episode of Islanders Anxiety dropped yesterday, and it was an important one. Mike got Horserace Insider’s Mark Berner to join he and Dan to discuss the in’s and out’s of the Belmont project and when we can expect it to begin. Mark had a lot of information that I was not aware of and he thinks the project is a sure thing. This episode also marks the second time this offseason they dropped an episode in which they discussed the Isles’ potential UFAs, only to have one sign within 24 hours. Keep making more episodes, guys! [LHH]
• The day after the Stanley Cup Final ended was the official beginning of the offseason, which means the Draft is just around the corner. The Athletic’s various beat writers gathered for a mock draft of the first round, and Arthur Staple has the Islanders taking center Philip Tomasino 23rd overall. Corey Pronman loved the pick. [The Athletic]
• Newsday had a little mock draft of their own, written by Isles beat writer, Andrew Gross, and his Rangers counterpart, Colin Stephenson. They had the Devils taking Jack Hughes no. 1 overall, leaving the Rangers with Kaapo Kakko at no. 2. And, they also had the Islanders selecting Tomasino with the 23rd pick, so it’s destiny at this point. [Newsday]
• Dom has a schedule/guide to the busiest month of the NHL offseason. [LHH]
• Vote for which of the Islanders rejected jerseys most “speaks your language.” I went with the Wave. [Islanders]
• New Jersey and New York have rejected applications for a new natural gas pipeline that would have brought natural gas to the Belmont area, and the plans for the new arena, hotel, and little village to be running on gas. Jack Sterne of Empire State Development doesn’t see it as an issue, though. [Queens Chronicle]

Blues Cup Win Coverage

• Ryan O’Reilly won the Conn Smythe Wednesday night; how did the writers vote to get to that point? [PHWA]
• Now that he backstopped a Cup Champ, what is goalie Jordan Binnington actually worth? [THN]
• One thing’s for sure: he’s definitely silenced many doubters with his hand in the victory. [NHL]
• Much has been made, rightfully so, about how the Blues went from last place in January to Stanley Cup Champions in June — they were never a bad team, but even if it’s all bad luck that gets you into last place, the hole is usually dug too deep to contend for a wild card spot, let alone a divisional spot. Here’s how they got out of that hole. [ESPN | The Ringer]
• David Perron is on his third stop with the Blues, and he’s always felt most at home during his time in the league with St. Louis, even when he was in the Cup Final with the Golden Knights last season. He’s happy to be on the winning side, this time. [NHL]
• Goalie Glenn Hall was the first-ever Blue, selected with their first pick in the 1967 Expansion Draft. He’s always remained loyal to St. Louis and he’s thrilled with their Cup victory. [NHL]
• Legendary defenseman Larry Robinson is a senior consultant with the Blues — he actually gives defense advice in between periods, so he’s very hands-on. He’s excited to get his tenth Stanley Cup ring. [NHL]
• Justin Bourne has some thoughts, notes, and interesting tidbits about the Cup Final and the champion Blues, including the importance of family, Jay Bouwmeester, and tweets! [The Athletic]

Around the Hockeysphere

• The first buyout window opened today, and it was reported as early as Wednesday by The Athletic that Flyers defenseman (and former Islanders draft pick and pylon) Andrew MacDonald was a candidate to be bought out. Today, he was placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout of the last two years of his deal. [BSH]
• Dion Phaneuf also fell victim to the buyout window, with the Kings agreeing to pay off the final two years of his contract. The window closes on June 30, so we’ll see who else gets there. [Sportsnet]
• In his 31 Thoughts column today, Elliotte Friedman covers the end of the Final, the Sharks’ chances of keeping Erik Karlsson, the buyout window, and other potential extension negotiations around the league.
• The Canadiens use some analytics and they’re preparing for the NHL’s information age. [The Athletic]
• The Bruins’ anthem singer, Todd Angilly, is actually a bartender at TD Garden part-time, and he still works a full-time job as an anthem singer. The man never stops. [AP News]