New York Islanders

Zdeno Chara's 25-year NHL career will come to an end Tuesday.

Chara announced on Instagram he will sign a one-day contract with the Boston Bruins to officially retire with the team he spent the bulk of his career playing for.

Zdeno Chara announces on Instagram that he is retiring after 25 seasons in the NHL.

He is signing a one-day contract to officially retire as a Boston Bruin. pic.twitter.com/NtOujBkUPl

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) September 20, 2022

Amid speculation about his future early in the offseason, Chara's agent, Matt Keator, told Matt Porter of the Boston Globe in June the 45-year-old was "going to take the summer with his family and assess where he's at physically, where his family's at, and make a decision in September."

A third-round draft pick by the New York Islanders in 1996, Chara made his NHL debut in 1997. He played for four different teams: the Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Bruins and Washington Capitals.

Chara was one of the best defensemen of his era. He made six All-Star appearances from 2003 to 2012, won the Norris Trophy in 2009 and won a Stanley Cup title with the Bruins in 2011.

After he spent 14 seasons in Boston from 2006 to 2020, the team informed him in his last year that he would not be re-signed. Chara decided to continue his playing career by signing a one-year contract with the Capitals.

However, he wasn't much of a factor with 10 points in 55 games. It was his lowest-scoring season since putting up nine points in 2000-01 with the Islanders.

The Isles brought Chara back on a one-year deal for the 2021-22 season.

Chara was named to the NHL's All-Decade second team for the 2010s. Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic wrote this about the Slovakian star when he was named to the outlet's All-Decade squad:

"His career high of 52 points did come in 2011-12, but that's not what puts Chara in this elite company. It was his innate ability to completely shut down opponents using his long stick, smart positioning and knowing how to toe the line. He was a problem other teams had to solve, and it led to the Bruins scoring 57 percent of the 5-on-5 goals while he was on the ice in the 2010's, a mark unmatched by any of the other five defenders listed here."

Chara's history as a defenseman who is capable of scoring made him an intimidating presence on the ice for more than two decades. He will almost certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible.

New York Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho was arrested in Sweden for drunk driving on August 13.

Norran, a Swedish-language newspaper, first reported the arrest. It has since been confirmed by Ethan Sears of the New York Post, who also noted that Aho's driver's license was suspended as a result.

Per Sears, Aho and his wife visited friends the night before while on vacation. He was arrested at 10:30 a.m. local time after being stopped at a checkpoint.

"I deeply regret and learn from this mistake and will definitely never drive again the next day," Aho told Norran (h/t Sears).

Claude Lemieux, who is Aho's agent, provided a statement via text to the Post.

"He had no idea he would still be over the limit by the next morning and felt 100 percent, but unfortunately he made a mistake and he is very sorry!" Lemieux wrote.

Aho was also fined 40,000 Swedish Krona ($3,769), per Aftonbladet (h/t Sears).

Islanders president of hockey operations and general manager Lou Lamariello released an official statement Wednesday.

"We were made aware immediately of the situation regarding Sebastian Aho. We have a copy of the police report indicating that he registered a 0.03 blood alcohol content, which is .01 over Sweden’s legal limit of .02.

"Sebastian apologizes for his mistake and as an organization we will work with him to make sure this never happens again."

Aho posted two goals and 10 assists in 36 games for the Isles last season. The 25-year-old re-signed with the team on a two-year deal over the offseason.

It's the middle of August, and Nazem Kadri is still a free agent. It's almost unthinkable, but it makes you wonder if he's signed with the one team that has a general manager who doesn't see it necessary to announce signings.

That team is the New York Islanders, and that general manager is Lou Lamoriello. There appeared to be some smoke when Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported an offer on the table for the former Colorado Avalanche center. However, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff extinguished that fire last week when he said that Kadri turned it down and is still talking to other teams.

There are fans in the New York area who are hoping that maybe Kadri is, in fact, an Islander already and that there will be a reveal in training camp. Anyone familiar with the way Lamoriello operates knows that he works in total secrecy. But this is a little shortsighted.

If Kadri had already signed a contract, it would have passed through the NHL Central Registry. I find it hard to believe that multiple insiders wouldn't find out about a transaction of that magnitude. Could he have a handshake deal in place with the Islanders? It's certainly possible.

But does it even make sense for this club? He would make the Islanders better, but it's not exactly a good fit.

Positional Fit

The Islanders already have three centers in Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Kadri, a Stanley Cup winner coming off an 87-point season, isn't signing with a team to play on the fourth line. He could move out to the wing, but two sources have told me that he isn't as effective there.

It's worth noting that he played on the wing during the Stanley Cup Final and did well there. The Avs wanted to minimize the impact on his injured thumb, so a move to the wing prevented him from having to take faceoffs.

He scored a goal in Game 4 of the Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning (although Jon Cooper probably still thinks it shouldn't have counted).

If moving Kadri to the wing is the plan, the Islanders will need to clear some salary-cap space. The logical candidate to be moved is winger Anthony Beauvillier, who does not have no-trade protection and has a cap hit of $4.2 million over each of the next two years.

You could make the argument for Pageau, but Lamoriello gave up a lot to acquire him in 2020 and is unlikely to give up on a player that took so much to get.

Pageau might not produce points at the same rate as Kadri, but he kills penalties, he's a better defender and he's two years younger than Kadri, who will turn 32 in October. His $5 million cap hit doesn't break the bank, and he's signed at that number through 2025-26.

Not to mention, Pageau has a limited no-trade clause.

Is Lamoriello looking for some blockbuster move like trading Barzal? I sincerely doubt it. Barzal is only 25 and a top center in the league. Ownership would be foolish to sign off on that trade.

But speaking of Barzal, we need to look at the salary cap.

Salary-Cap Fit

The Isles currently have a little more than $11 million in cap space this season, but they still need to re-sign restricted free agents Kieffer Bellows, Alexander Romanov and Noah Dobson.

Barzal's bridge deal only runs through 2023, making him an RFA next summer. Scott Mayfield and Semyon Varlamov will be unrestricted free agents next summer, and goaltender Ilya Sorokin will be one in two years. Sorokin had the second-best save percentage in the league last season, and he makes this club a contender.

The Isles would be smart to keep Varlamov, a very good backup, around this year as well, considering how tough the goalie market is right now. They could probably trade him to the Vegas Golden Knights to clear cap space, but there aren't any good options for backups left on the market, and Bridgeport goalie Ken Appleby isn't the answer either.

That's a lot of business for Lamoriello to take care of, and he will need to plug some holes in the coming years.

Kadri might want $9 million per year, but getting that money on Long Island would mean the club would have to part with key talent. And even though he reportedly wants to play for a contender, the reality is that he might not be able to get that kind of money from one. The flat cap isn't going up by much anytime soon, and close to half of the league is already over the cap.

Is He Really Needed?

Isles fans see this as adding offense to a team that didn't generate a whole lot of it last season. New York's 2.79 goals per game was 10th-worst in the league. Adding a two-time 30-goal scorer would help with the quest for offense and could bring some excitement to the new UBS Arena.

Fans have every right to be frustrated by Lamoriello's seeming inaction this summer. He traded away a first-round pick for Romanov, who has shown promise but did struggle with the Montreal Canadiens. He fired a popular coach in Barry Trotz and promoted Trotz's longtime assistant, Lane Lambert. He whiffed on Johnny Gaudreau.

But this team was only a game away from the Stanley Cup Final last summer. The 2021-22 Islanders were undone by a brutal travel schedule, COVID-19 and injuries to key players. Trotz's defensive system doesn't really produce a lot of offense, but Lambert can now put his own stamp on the team by having them play in a way that facilitates more scoring.

This is a loaded Metropolitan Division, with the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets looking ready to jump back into the postseason fray. The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes are still contenders, and the Washington Capitals should be a playoff team, too.

Adding Kadri but subtracting a young, cost-controlled player like Beauvillier or a backup goalie like Varlamov doesn't make this club that much better than it already is right now, especially if he has to move to the wing.

There are a lot of pros to adding someone like Kadri, but there might be just a few more cons for the Isles.

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All salary cap info courtesy of CapFriendly.com

It's been nearly a month since NHL free agency began, and many of the top players who hit the market signed contracts long ago. Not Nazem Kadri. The 31-year-old center is still available, even though he's coming off a career season.

But there have been plenty of rumors surrounding Kadri, who has drawn a lot of reported interest from various teams. And soon enough, he should sign a deal with one of them.

While numerous franchises may remain in the mix, one team that appears to be a possible fit for Kadri is the New York Islanders.

On Tuesday, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported that he's heard from other teams that the Islanders have offered Kadri a seven-year contract with an average annual value in the range of $7 million. But Seravalli isn't certain it's a sure thing that Kadri will be taking that deal.

"My understanding is [Kadri’s camp] has continued to engage with other teams. For all the reports that Nazem Kadri has something locked up with the New York Islanders, I think that's premature to say," Seravalli said on The DFO Rundown.

Could that mean Kadri is still looking for more money? That isn't yet clear. But Seravalli believes he and the Isles may not be on the exact same page yet.

"At this point, obviously it's not signed, and the fact that they continue to talk to other teams tells me at least that they also haven’t agreed to terms with the New York Islanders," Seravalli said. "May he end up there? It's certainly possible, but they also need to move money in order to make it work."

Seravalli reported that the Calgary Flames have also shown interest in Kadri. There's been plenty of buzz about a potential return to the Colorado Avalanche. So Kadri may still have options.

But that doesn't matter. Kadri should sign with the Islanders, especially because it seems unlikely he's going to get a ton of long-term deals offered to him at this stage in his career.

If New York is willing to give Kadri a seven-year contract, that's likely longer than some other teams would do. And that would guarantee that he'd have a deal through the end of his age-38 season.

The Islanders are one of the teams with the most financial flexibility in the NHL at this point in the offseason, with $11.185 million in available cap space (per CapFriendly). They have several restricted free agents they haven't yet signed, so they may need to make a move or two to clear room for Kadri still. But it could be easier for them to do so than it would be for several other potential suitors.

According to CapFriendly, the Avalanche have $3.91 million in available cap space while the Flames have $2.76 million free.

Plus, Kadri joining the Isles would be a great fit for both sides. New York would be getting a talented offensive player who tallied a career-high 87 points (28 goals and 59 assists) last season for Colorado and now has the valuable experience of winning a Stanley Cup.

The Islanders could also be in a position to soon compete for a title themselves. They made the playoffs every year from 2019-21, and although they missed the postseason this past season, they have enough talented players to get back there during the 2022-23 campaign.

New York has a solid young core, and adding Kadri to the mix as a veteran leader would potentially help take it to the next level.

So, Kadri doesn't need to wait much longer. He should sign with the Islanders at the rumored terms they're offering and get to work trying to help this franchise improve into the future.