July 1st is usually a day of jealousy for Islander fans. Since losing Tavares in 2018, we sit around and watch other teams stack up on free agents for the upcoming season while our aging roster sits pat (or relatively so). It was looking to be another one of those days this year, but Lou rose from his summer coffin like Nosferatu to re-sign Mike Reilly (D) and add Anthony Duclair (LW) to the roster.
These are two solid moves, as Mike Reilly proved to be a useful defenseman with a lot of mobility and offensive upside las year. He has potential to be one of Lou’s better decisions of his tenure after he claimed him from waivers last season.
Reilly signed for 1 year worth $1.25M, another cost-effective grinder on the roster after the MacLean signing. He played 59 games with the Islanders, scoring 6 G and 18 A for 24 points, mostly playing on the 3rd line.
Although Anthony Duclair has gotten the Derek Brassard treatment for a lot of his career, there is no debating his potential to score goals, and filthy ones at that. He joins the Isles for 4 years at $3.5 AAV, bringing a nice pair of mitts and a shooter’s mentality.
We saw him take a big step when he joined the Lightning last year, scoring 15 points in 17 games with TBL after deadline. We know what he can do when he is healthy and has some competence around him, as he continued to play hard in the playoffs. That begs the question of whether or not he will have that support on this Isles roster. Duclair, Barzal, and Horvat would make a solid top line that the Islanders haven’t had in a while, or at least a power play unit. He will provide much needed skill and speed for this forward group.
Duclair is currently 28 years old with 303 points in 563 career games. He has a history playing for Patrick Roy on the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL, achieving the role of assistant captain. He went on to win gold in the U20 World Juniors with Canada in 2015. Perhaps Coach Roy can get the best out of him, as well of the rest of our roster with a full training camp.
Let us not forget the sneaky signing of 25 yr-old Russian forward, Maxim Tsyplakov, of the Spartak Moskva. He finished last season with 47 points in 65 games.
This is an exciting day for the Islanders, but now the watch continues for more signings, or especially trades. Keep it up, Lou!
The Morning Skate 