Islanders News: New Year, new faces in new places

Hope everybody has a happy and healthy new year. Thanks for your continued support of Lighthouse Hockey.

Seven training camps open today. There are only two weeks left until for real hockey games start again.

Islanders Stuff

• The Islanders owners have purchased the final 15% of the team from the estate of Charles Wang. “Charles believed in this franchise and always wanted what was best for the team’s passionate fan base.” [also Newsday]
• Make it five assists in three games for Simon Holmstrom at the World Juniors. [Islanders]
• A new season means a new chapter for the Islanders and Josh Ho-Sang, who apparently won’t be invited to training camp despite being signed to a contract extension back in October. Personally, I’ve run out of things to say about this topic. [NY Post]
• Official now: Derick Brassard is a Coyote. [FFH] How will the Islanders compensate or (gasp!) upgrade his position? Arthur Staple looks at the options at The Athletic. The picture at the top says a lot (but guarantees little).
• A bunch of Leafs writers discuss how they’d run the Islanders before Staple tells them why they’re all wrong. Not as bad as it could have been but nothing you haven’t heard before from people who you don’t need to hear from. [The Athletic]
• Mike and I are oddly optimistic about this season, thanks in large part to the new guy in goal.
• Ilya Sorokin’s arrival will impact a roster that went to Eastern Conference finals last season. [Islanders preview at NHL.com]
• You might clean up if you put some money on Sorokin to win the Calder Trophy. [NY Post]
• A fun run down of weird Islanders items some folks (including yours truly) own in their homes. Some of the stories are wild.

Other Stuff

• So, uh, this is gonna be weird: After 14 years, three Finals appearances and one Stanley Cup as captain of the Bruins, Zdeno Chara has signed a one-year deal with the Capitals. That’s a lot to chew on. [Japers | SCoC staff | How it went down isn’t sitting right with SCoC]
• Bad news for the Blackhawks. Hot shot Kirby Dach will miss four or five months (!) with an injury sustained at the World Juniors and now captain Jonathan Toews will also miss training camp with an illness. [ SCH 1 | SCH 2]
• By now you’ve heard about Henrik Lundqvist missing this season for the Capitals. He has since announced that he is scheduled to have open heart surgery. All the best to one of the best. [NHL | BSB]