Sure, it’s not as exciting as the Pittsburgh Penguins handing Sergei Gonchar a tryout offer, but the New York Islanders’ announcement reminds us that we’re about to enter that fascinating stage of the offseason.
We’ll find out more names soon enough: who will need a strong training camp to earn an NHL gig?
The Islanders handed professional tryout contracts to Matt Carkner, Tyler Barnes and Parker Milner on Monday.
Carkner, 34, appeared in 22 games with the Islanders in 2012-13 and 53 in 2013-14, racking up 195 combined penalty minutes in that time.
The pictured pugilist fought four times in the AHL in 2014-15 and dropped the gloves on nine occasions in 2013-14 with the Islanders, according to Hockey Fights.
He received a one-game suspension back in 2012 for this altercation with Brian Boyle:
Barnes, 25, is an undrafted forward. He spent most of the 2014-15 in the ECHL. Milner, 24, is a goalie who also spent much of last season in the ECHL.
Update:
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