The New York Islanders have sent qualifying offers to five players and have let another four head to free agency
There will be roster spots available at training camp come September. Three roster players and one prospect will not be returning next season as they did not receive qualifying offers from Lou Lamoriello and the New York Islanders.
Those departing and becoming unrestricted free agents on July 1 are forwards Shane Prince, Alan Quine, and Kyle Schempp as well as defenseman Brandon Davidson.
On the other hand, the Islanders will continue to hold onto the rights of forwards Brock Nelson and Ross Johnston in addition to defensemen Ryan Pulock, Devon Toews, and Kyle Burroughs.
The Islanders gave up a third-round pick for Prince at the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline and did the same for Davidson this past deadline.
Coming over from the Ottawa Senators, Prince has nine goals and 25 points in 84 regular-season games with the Islanders and an additional three goals and four points in 11 playoff games.
Davidson played just 13 games with his third team of the 2017-18 season. He scored one goal and added an assist over that span.
Quine has been with the organization since he was drafted in 2011. He spent most his time with the time in the Bridgeport but as played up with the big club for the last two seasons. Quine scored the double-overtime winner in Game 5 of the Islanders-Panthers first-round series in 2016 to give the team a 3-2 series lead and had the secondary assist on Tavares’ double-overtime, series-clinching goal in Game 6.
Quine’s career with the Islanders (most likely) comes to an end with six goals and 22 points through 84 regular-season games and another goal and five points in 10 playoff games.
Schempp has spent the entirety of his Islanders tenure shuffling around in the minors between the ECHL and AHL. The 24-year-old played 33 games with Bridgeport this past season scoring three goals and six points.
With those three roster players gone, the door is now open for a very competitive training camp. Michael Dal Colle, Josh Ho-Sang, Kieffer Bellows, Sebastian Aho, and Toews are among those who will now have a true chance at making the team.
Under Lamoriello, the Islanders have already relieved several members of the staff of their duties including former general manager Garth Snow, head coach Doug Weight, associate coach Greg Cronin, and today, two more.
According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, the team has let go of Matt Bertani, the team’s assistant and video coach, and their vice president of hockey operations, Claude Loiselle.
In Game 3 of the Islanders’ previously mentioned 2016 first-round series against the Panthers, the Islanders appeared to go down 3-0 off a goal from Aaron Ekblad. Bertani, however, called down to the Isles’ bench and told them to initiate a coach’s challenge for the play being offsides. The team won the challenge, the goal was overturned, and the Isles eventually came back and won the game off an overtime goal from Thomas Hickey to take a 2-1 series lead.
According to Eric Hornik of NYISkinny, the Islanders were three for four when challenging opponent’s goals for being offsides.
