Simon Holmstrom stays with Islanders, signs two-year deal

New York Islanders fans, don’t fret – Simon Holmstrom isn’t going anywhere.

The New York Islanders have signed defenseman Simon Holmstrom a two-year deal with a cap hit of $3.625 million.

Holmstrom will be an RFA when his deal ends in 2027. The 24-year-old winger is coming off an impressive 20-goal, 45-point season – the third year of his NHL career. Originally drafted 23rd overall by the Islanders, Holmstrom made his NHL debut in 2022-23, registering nine points in 50 games. But as time wore on, the 6-foot-2, 214-pound Swede started to show some serious promise. He was boosted into the top-six this year, which led to his 20-point boost in production.

Prior to becoming a full-time NHLer, Holmstrom had 43 points in 68 games with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders in 2021-22. In total, he had 70 points in 154 games over four AHL seasons, and is now up to 79 points in 200 NHL games with the big club. Internationally,

Holmstrom has represented Sweden at both the 2019 U-18 World Championship and 2021 World Juniors. He won gold at the U-18s, finishing with six points in seven games in a leading role with the nation. The next year, he found himself playing in the AHL, a surprise move for someone so young with very limited European pro hockey experience.

PuckPedia has the Islanders sitting with over $3.5 million in projected cap space. The team signed Ethan Bear, David Rittich, Tony DeAngelo and Jonathan Drouin to new deals, and also signed a few others to AHL contracts.

The team still needs new contracts for RFAs Emil Heineman, Maxim Tsyplakov, Marc Gatcomb, Ruslan Iskhakov and Adam Beckman.

The Islanders missed out on the playoffs this year, finishing sixth out of eight teams in the Metropolitan Division. The team recently selected three players in the first round of the NHL Draft, including defenseman Matthew Schaefer first overall.