New York Islanders Announce Tryout Invites

The New York Islanders have handed out professional contracts to players for the upcoming camps to tryout for the NHL team.

By Michael Iuzzini

This is far from a breaking story and probably should not be considered news at all, but seeing the New York Islanders tap into the NHL radar helps the hockey taste buds get through the dark abyss of the month of August.

For hockey fans, August is nothing short of awful.  The Draft has come and gone and most of the free agents are signed and set, which leaves fans impatiently waiting for camps to breakout in September.

On Monday the Isles offered professional tryout contracts to Matt Carkner, Tyler Barnes and Parker Milner.

Truly not much here to jump up and scream Yes! Yes! Yes! about but Arthur Staple of Newsday did post on twitter that Eric Boulton also agreed to tryout with the team which as Staple said “Could be an interesting place this season.”

Eric Boulton agrees to tryout with #Isles. Between him and Matt Carkner, BPT could be an interesting place this season.

— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) August 24, 2015

Carkner is no stranger to the team.  In 2013-14 he played 53 games as an Islander while piling up a solid rap sheet with 195 penalty minutes.

The Islanders quiet offseason is just more proof of how much general manager Garth Snow and staff believe in their players.

With that said, don’t think Snow is sitting on his hands and waiting for the season to start.  You never know what the GM can be working on.  Last season’s Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk trades changed the face of the team for the next seven years.