Islanders Sign Emil Heineman to 2-Year Extension

Heineman, who is 23 years old, scored 10 goals and added eight assists for 18 points through 62 games with the Canadiens last season. He has 66 career games under his belt, and with 18 points in that time, he has maintained a 0.27 points-per-game average. He has five playoff games under his belt as well, scoring one goal in that time.

Heineman was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers at 43rd overall. He was traded to the Calgary Flames as part of the Sam Bennett trade in 2021, and was traded to the Canadiens in February of 2022 as part of their Tyler Toffoli deal. He never played games with the Panthers or Flames, and is coming off of his first full campaign in the NHL.

He was the only player who came back in the deal for Dobson, who signed an eight-year extension with the Canadiens, as the Islanders also brought in two first-round selections at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, which they used to draft Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson.

The Islanders seem to be hopeful that Heineman can elevate and become a solid top-nine forward for them in the 2025-26 season. He was a pending restricted free agent (RFA), and while they didn’t get a deal done right away, the two sides were able to hammer out an extension just two days into free agency.

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