If the Islanders want to take up the maxim of never letting a crisis go to waste, there is an opportunity to parlay Alexander Romanov’s ACL tear into a star defenseman, should general manager Mathieu Darche be willing to take considerable risk to get there.
That would be in the form of attempting an offer sheet to Simon Edvinsson, the unsigned 23-year-old restricted free agent who currently is skating in Sweden after the Red Wings — the league’s clubhouse leader in hot messes — failed to come to an agreement despite the player reporting to training camp without a contract in place.
Reports and rumors have swirled around what clearly is a volatile situation that lacks an empowered front office but includes a meddlesome owner and an enraged fan base. Edvinsson prefers a trade, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported, though that has yet to be widely confirmed and does not rule out re-signing.
The Islanders, at present, are not in a position to give an offer sheet. To be clear, there is no indication at all that they are planning to do so. This is a mere hypothetical, not the reporting of a likely outcome, nor advocacy for it.
