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NY Islanders Waive 2 Players, Assign 12 Others to Hamilton

The New York Islanders regular season roster is coming more into focus after several moves.

Kenneth Teape

Jan 2, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear (25) skates with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear (25) skates with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
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The New York Islanders are preparing for their second preseason game of the year, on the road at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.

Their lineup for Game 2 of the preseason is expected to feature more veterans, after the lineup in their first game against the New Jersey Devils featured mostly AHL and rookie camp participants.

In fact, several players who took the ice in Game 1 aren’t going to be with the team any longer. With a deadline of Sept. 28 to have their roster compliant for the regular season, the Islanders have made several roster moves to get them close to being regular-season ready.

Ahead of their game against the Rangers on Tuesday night, New York revealed that they have placed two players on waivers and reassigned 12 more players to the Hamilton Hammers, their AHL affiliate.

Islanders make multiple moves to trim roster

New York Islanders goalie Henrik Tikkanen (70) skates during the third period against the New York Rangers.
Sep 24, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Islanders goalie Henrik Tikkanen (70) skates during the third period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Hitting the waiver wire and potentially leaving the organization are right-handed defenseman Ethan Bear and goalie Henrik Tikkanen. They are two of 15 players who were placed on waivers on Sept. 22. If both players make it through waivers unclaimed, they will be assigned to Hamilton as well.

A fifth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, No. 124 overall, Bear looked to be a No. 4 or 5 defenseman at the NHL level. He was productive for the Vancouver Canucks during the 2023-24 season, establishing himself as an NHL regular.

However, that summer while playing for Team Canada at the Worlds, he suffered a shoulder injury that has derailed his career. He has never quite recovered, last playing in the NHL for the Washington Capitals during the 2023-24 campaign, appearing in 24 games.

A full-time player at the AHL level the last two seasons, he has the pedigree and experience that a team could take a shot on him on waivers. But the concerns about him being able to hold up against top-tier competition at this point are legitimate.

Tikkanen was a long shot to ever make the roster with Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov and Vitek Vanecek all ahead of him at the very least. He could be in the mix to start with the Hammers if the Islanders opt to hold three goalies on the NHL roster to begin the season.

Should Bear and Tikkanen clear waivers, they will join the group of 12 players whom New York assigned to Hamilton as part of the roster purge.

Cameron Berg, Hunter Drew, Cam Thiesing, Ryan Healey, Luke Rowe, Brandon Scanlon, Ryan Fanti, Joey Larson, Jesse Nurmi, Gleb Veremyev, Calle Odelius and Jesse Pulkkinen were all signed to the AHL affiliate ahead of the second preseason game.

Out of that group, only Larson and Veremyev appeared in the first preseason game, along with Bear.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

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