New York Islanders Offseason Acquisitions

An education administrator who specializes in working with students with special needs, Greg Gerkens is a child study and human relations graduate of St. Joseph's College. Since graduating, he has earned post-graduate degrees and certificates in literacy, educational leadership, and English. A passionate sports fan, Greg Gerkens counts the New York Islanders as his favorite National Hockey League (NHL) team.

The Islanders lost its captain and most important player, John Tavares, to the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency on July 1, but the team also added a pair of former Maple Leafs. On the same day, New York signed veteran winger Leo Komarov to a four-year, $12 million contract. Two days later, New York acquired Matt Martin from the Maple Leafs in a trade. A 31-year-old native of Narva, Estonia, Komarov was originally selected by Toronto in the sixth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, and has since registered 122 points in 327 games with the franchise. Martin, meanwhile, accumulated 173 penalty minutes and 21 points during the past two seasons with the Maple Leafs, but spent the previous seven seasons with the Islanders.

New York also signed free agent right winger Tom Kuhnhackl and goaltender Robin Lehner in addition to re-signing multiple players, including Ryan Pulock, Brock Nelson, Ross Johnston, and Thomas Hickey. The team also recently announced it invited veteran defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Luca Sbisa to its training camp.