Only one NHL team failed to sign a free agent this summer!

There is one question on everyone’s lips at this point in the offseason: what are the New York Islanders doing with free agency? Almost all clubs across the league have been busy on the free agent market this summer, except for the Islanders, who have officially become the only team that has failed to see a free agent this offseason.*

Fans were expecting the Islanders to bolster their roster after finishing the previous season 16 points outside of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

It was reported more than once that GM Lou Lamoriello was in on the Nazem Kadri sweepstakes, attempting to bring the Stanley Cup champion to Long Island. Unfortunately, Kadri signed with the Calgary Flames this past week, which was another blow for the Islanders who had attempted to get Johnny Gaudreau to ink a deal with them earlier in the summer.

*Finally on Monday, Lamoriello signed RFA forward Kieffer Bellows to a one-year contract, RFA defenseman Noah Dobson to a three-year contract and newly acquired RFA defenseman Alexander Romanov to a three-year contract as well, but nothing has been done when it comes to unrestricted free agents. There are still some big-name veterans looking for their potential last opportunities to continue playing in the NHL, like Phil Kessel, P.K. Subban, and Paul Statsny.

There have been mentions of Zach Ashton-Reese and Sonny Milano as possible options for the Islanders, though fans keep waiting for a deal to take place. These players could certainly bring a positive impact as young assets to one of the oldest offensive groups in the entire league.

However, after yesterday’s three RFA signings, New York has just $3.485M left in cap space.

There is no doubt that the Isles’ fanbase is desperate for some good news after a disappointing season, but so far, the offseason has been just as much as a downer… Let’s see if things can change before the puck drops in October.