Islanders News: Scheduling the AHL seems difficult

Hello, LHH. I am back for the summer. I was keeping up with the news while I was away, though didn’t have time nor Internet enough to participate in the conversation about the moves that did or didn’t go down. Not enough to even fully process what went on, but no need to rehash those thoughts in this space.

As we enter the NHL’s silent season, we do need to find something to discuss, however. Let’s say, I don’t know, puppies? Do you have a dog? What’s your favorite breed? Would it be a bad idea to make this comment thread almost entirely about puppies? Fire away.

Okay, Maybe a Little Islanders (or Sound Tigers, Really) Talk

The Islanders signed depth goalie Jared Coreau to a two-way deal. I remember when this guy graced the cover of Hockey Digest, touted as the next big thing. Am I dating myself?

• The AHL released its schedules for the 2019-20 season and the Sound Tigers start the season on a four-game road trip and end it on a three-game road trip. Brutal.
• But their schedule is heavy on weekend games and New England teams, so at least they won’t have to travel too far too often. [CT Post]

And Yeah, Some General Hockey Talk, Too

• The Canucks signed Micheal Ferland (yes, that’s how he spells his first name, unfortunately) to a four-year contract with an AAV at $3.5 million. [NHL]
• The contract means Vancouver will have to put on its thinking cap to make room for Brock Boeser’s extension, whenever that comes in. [Sportsnet]
• With Artemi Panarin’s contract leaving them only $8 million in cap space to sign RFAs Jacob Trouba (who would command most, if not all of that space on his own) and Pavel Buchnevich, the Rangers and GM Jeff Gorton will have to get creative. [NY Post]
• Matt Duchene’s addition to the Predators gives them he and Ryan Johansen as top six centers, a great place in which to be. But Kyle Turris is going to make $6 million for the next five years as a third-line center if the Preds hold on to him. Burden or luxury? [The Athletic]
• Matt Cullen has announced his retirement from the NHL after 21 seasons. This means Zdeno Chara is now the oldest active player. [NHL]
• Jesse Puljujarvi’s agent, Markus Lehto, went on the radio in Vancouver to declare that the Oilers are no longer a fit for his client, even under a new front office regime. [Edmonton Journal]
• LISTEN: Andrew Thomas, formerly one of the top names on the Internet for analytics and, at one time, one of the heads of the analytics department for the Minnesota Wild, discusses the next frontier of hockey analytics with Dimitri Filipovic on the latter’s Hockey PDOcast.
• Joffrey Lupul opened up about his departure from the Maple Leafs, sort of confirming the mystery behind “Robidas Island:” that he was made to fail his physicals. But he adds concerns about his life after hockey got in his head and limited him as a player toward the end. [Bardown]
• Take a trip around Russia and Eastern Europe and get a brief run-down of all the arenas the KHL will be using this season. The topic at hand is rink size, and how some arenas are shifting away from traditional European-size rinks.
• Someone has compiled a list of the most ridiculous video games relating to each sport and the list doesn’t disappoint. [SB Nation]