Islanders News: Soshnikov waived, Boomer razed

The New York Islanders are doing much better than I expected them to do to this point in the season. Sitting at 11-6-0 and fourth in the league by points (sixth by points percentage), they have certainly increased their postseason chances. In the interest of staying balanced and level-headed, it is worth pointing out that in the tough Eastern Conference, they sit only three points clear of the cut line, and they have had some games where they look less than stellar or have had to come back. Still, they have done well to navigate their difficulties and bank points.

They will probably get back on the plane today to head down to Nashville, as I learned from the post-game comments on Monday that they planned to head back to Long Island for a day before heading back out. While they were home, they made a roster move.

Islanders News

• The Isles are feeling pretty good after starting this road stretch with a win over the Ottawa Senators. [Newsday]
• Andrew Gross carcasted with Greg Picker while they drove from Ottawa to Montreal. [Island Ice]
• Zach Parise admits that he put a little too much pressure on himself last year, but this year, he’s embracing his role as a depth player and having success because of it. [The Athletic]
• Eetu Liukas was the youngest player on the Finnish national team at a recent tournament. Also, Quinn Finley and Jake Pivonka scored. [Islanders Prospect Report]
• Matt Martin’s father-in-law, Boomer Esiason, got made fun of by the Ottawa radio team on Monday. Apparently, Canadians still hold a grudge over comments he made about the CFL. [Awful Announcing]
• We’re approaching UBS Arena’s first birthday/anniversary/whatever you want to call it. amNY caught up with arena president Kim Stone to see how things have been going.
• Reverse Retros are now available, folks. [Islanders]
• According to Elliotte Friedman, Nikita Soshnikov went on waivers yesterday. I wonder what the next move is, whether they just want to keep a roster spot open or just want his waiver status set for a month or if they plan to call someone up, such as Simon Holmstrom.

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Devils continuing to roll with a 5-1 win (their tenth straight) over the Canadiens and the Blue Jackets topping the Flyers in OT. Also, the Penguins and Capitals each lost 5-2 in regulation again.

• Former Hockey Canada CEO Bob Nicholson said that he regrets not doing more to address the off-ice misconduct at his organization. I’m sure that will make everything better. [TSN]
• Pierre LeBrun went to the GM meetings in Toronto and spoke with Sens GM Pierre Dorion. He also hears rumblings about Jakob Chychrun. [The Athletic]
• LeBrun discusses this as well, but San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier said he’d consider trading Erik Karlsson. That’s nice that he would consider trading his $11.5 million defenseman. [NHL]
• A deep dive into what will probably be considered a historic trade of Matthew Tkachuk for Jonathan Huberdeau et al. [The Athletic]
• An abbreviated 32 Thoughts, just as Elliotte Friedman promised. Nothing earth-shattering, though. [Sportsnet]