NEW YORK ISLANDERS SIGN KYLE PALMIERI AND ADAM BOQVIST

NEW YORK ISLANDERS SIGN KYLE PALMIERI AND ADAM BOQVIST

You’re listening to Up the Turnpike with host Mitch Anderson, Mattal. Hello and welcome to Up the Turnpike. What is going on? Matt Ori alongside Mitch Anderson as we have some breaking news as I’m switching the banner while going live. Didn’t realize that we had the old that Islanders are signing Kyle Palmary and Adam Boowquist to new contracts. Yep. And we got So we know that the Kyle Palmary deal is two years with a $4.75 million AAV. Adam Bokequist is a one-year contract with $850,000 AAV. Matt, I saw your tweet. What are you feeling there, bud? Not not great. Uh, a parting gift from Lulu Laarillo as Elliot Freeman reports. Uh, saying, “Believe both of these deals had been agreed to before Matthew Dar hiring, but obviously happy happily honored, which thank you, Lou. I guess like I I get that people are going to say, “Oh, the cap’s going up.” But everyone talks about that this roster needs changes and then we want to sign our 34 and 30, you know, our 34 year old soon to be 34 year old goal scorer and Kyle Palary. Like I I just I’m trying to understand the logic here. Yeah. So like um Chris is saying it’s pretty shady that these are Lou deals and then Andre saying like he doesn’t want to hurt relations with agents which is to totally true. totally fair. Um, Bill Spizz would love this. More palms for Spizz. Um, I I to me that’s moral ownership. Why are you letting your general manager make that you’re questioning whether you want to keep or not make these negotiations? Of course, he’s just going to do them because that’s his job to do. But like why are you letting if you’re if there’s any hint of a doubt that you might change this guy, why would you let him make these discussions or these negotiations with these players? I I don’t have a particular big problem with either of them. Like e either contract or term seems fine to me. We can squabble over the number for Palms probably, but to me just like the new GM shouldn’t have to come in day, let’s call it day two or day one post press conference and have to sign deals that he didn’t negotiate. Yeah, it’s kind of like you’re setting not set I don’t want to use the word setting up for failure because who knows maybe Kyle Pomeary continues to play 82 games and score 25 goals this season. I hope he does. That’s that would make the deal worth it in my eyes. But what’s what’s making me nervous is the past history with Kyle Pomeieri. Um it’s rare to see him play a full 82 game season. Um I know he’s done it in backto-back years, but he only did it one other time in his career. Uh, and that’s way back in 2016. The two years before at age 30 and 31 with the Islanders played 69 and 55 games. Um, I think it look it could look okay now, but I I just I’m worried about what 35-year-old Kyle Pome looks like. And I know like he’ll only have one more year left on the deal, but I’m kind of I was tired of continuing to lock up our guys in their mid30s. That that’s all. Yeah, I I totally agree with you. I’m not I wasn’t huge on keeping Kyle Palmary anyways. Like I I think it’s an idea or it’s a player with diminishing returns. I I don’t think we’re going to be getting a whole lot more out of him. Um but I’m I’m I’m fine with it. Like if he does do what he’s supposed to do or has done the last two years, then okay. Um Allan, yes, it’s a 475 for for Kyle. 4.75 per year. Um 850 for Adam Boowquest, I believe. 850,000. That’s right. Um I see a question here. The issue from Chris is that uh for Palms’s contract is no trade clause, not the money. We’ll see if there’s any sort of trade protection on that. We haven’t we haven’t heard if there’s anything yet. It’s a L deal, so probably. Um although, can you do that? It’s not a plus 35 contract. It’s because he’s under that. Um I I don’t know that to me it really comes down to can he do as you were saying can he do what he has done because we haven’t seen him play a full season outside of the last two years but if he can score you 24 goals add 50 points and where we’re getting it for 475 fine I’m I’m okay with it correct and if that’s what he continues to give you then I I will not be complaining about Kyle Palmary’s contract the next two years It’s more of just a concern if we’re going to continue to see this kind of production or if we’re going to see the beginnings of a fall-off. And I guess my question to you now, it’s kind of hard to say, I understand, on May 30th, but this is kind of where we are. What would you expect Kyle Palmary’s role to be? Is he playing on the second line? Is he playing on the third line? Where where is Kyle Palary landing? Well, I’m going to take the middle here and just say middle six. He’s going to be a middle six player because that’s that’s what he was, right? I can’t expect him to play on the top line. So, it’s going to be whatever situation calls for whatever kind of connection he makes with whatever center he’s going to be playing with is going to dictate where he goes. So, he had that connection with Brock Nelson, so he was attached to his hip forever. Um, but now Brock Nelson is gone. Who’s he going to play with? Maybe Brock Nelson. They just keep bringing back the mid30 guys, maybe. Um, but we see Matthew saying Trey Jean Gabriel Pjo, which is fair. Um, there’s nothing against JG, but if you’re locking at 475, you’re trying to open up some money, although the cap is is raising quite a bit. Um, I wouldn’t mind doing that uh trading JG for, but that’s another center now that you you don’t have that connection with with Kyle Palmary, which again is fine. I’m not saying you have to keep him now because you have Kyle Palmary. It’s just it kind of begs the questions to where Kyle Palmary fits in terms of who he connects with in terms of a center because he’s not a I I don’t think we play him on the top line. That would be not great. No. And I get it was kind of leading into my point of like what kind of change are we going to see? Is Matthew Barzal playing center? Is he playing wing? So then we’re kind of already locking ourselves into Barzal, Pomei, Holmstrom, Gatcom as your four right wingers, unless they’re going to do something that I just don’t expect, which plenty of time to do so. Right. So I I don’t want to necessarily get caught in like what what does this necessarily mean for the lineup going forward. It means that Kyle is here. It means that he’s going to be in the middle six. Uh, in my opinion, at 475, we’re talking about about a guy who got a decrease to his salary. Now, not just literally, but both literally and effectively because the cap went up and we paid him less than he was making last year. His earning power should have been higher with the cap going up in free agency. He should have had at least even money, if not a little bit more, just because of the cap going up, but he got less. So, like we’re paying this guy less to give us the same that he got before. So, I I I’m I’m still okay with the deal as far as a middle six winger is concerned, unless of course, as you’re saying, he just doesn’t play right, which is my concern, but maybe a little bit unfair to him. Um, I don’t know how well this is showing, so apologize, but just wanted to show uh the numbers from the last couple of years. As mentioned, he played full seasons the last two. 30 goals, 54 points in 24 in 2025, 24 goals and 48 points, an average of 27 goals. Um, which again, like that if that’s the return on our investment, great. I hope that’s what it is. Um, because he’s going to be here the next two years. Yeah. Um, curious just how that impacts them going forward. That’s all. Yeah, absolutely. It’s totally fair to have that like uh what does this mean going forward type of thing. I do like this here from Terrence. I don’t like the money, but the term is good. Yeah, of course. two-year deal is fine. Uh Lou left him with no option. Him being Matthew Dash. No option better off signing them and dishing them at a deadline instead of getting nothing for him. He still has value. Probably should have traded him at the deadline, but I’m sure Terrence would agree as well, but that he’s just kind of like this is what we’ve got. Maybe I’m still hung up on that. Maybe that’s part of it for me too. May and you’re right to feel that way. Absolutely. You’re going, you had a guy who could have returned you quite a whole lot at the trade deadline and you didn’t hold him. So, you can sign him to $4.75 million. Like, what are we doing here to to for what? We want to talk some Adam Boquist now. I feel like we uh did a lot on um Kyle right now, but Adam Boowquist uh was claimed by the Islanders. Uh right shot defenseman, still young, 24 years old. He was an RFA. Ended up playing in 17 games for the Islanders. Had eight points and averaged 15 minutes and 22 seconds of ice time with the team and played on the wing. The full-on Thomas Hickey situation. He took the words out of my mouth. He he channeled his inner Thomas Hickey. Yeah. And I think the question for us, and this is put in in the chats here by Anthony, is is the perfect one. Will Bocus be used as a regular player this season? Um, now I don’t my my assumption is going to be no. I think he’s going to be the seventh defenseman. My thought was that one of Boquist or Perinovich were going to be the seventh defenseman. Or who know who knows? Maybe they keep an eighth defenseman and only one extra forward. You could do it that way too with your three scratches. or you move on from Scott Mayfield and then you open up that right-handed spot for for Boquis who is a much speedier player than than Scott Mayfield is at least optically anyways. That’s true. And I was considering um I was considering moving on from Scott Mayfield anyway, but my thought was they would bring back Tony D’Angelo um with how he played last year. Uh and we don’t know that. If they don’t bring back Tony D, then maybe they do see a world where, you know, this is their sixth defenseman and maybe he splits time with their seventh defenseman. He plays like, I don’t know, maybe plays 50 games for them or something. Yeah. And so like he’s a utility player, a guy who’s going to play on your bottom pair. Maybe if he plays better, he can move up. Um if not, he’s a bottom pair player, replacement level guy. comes in and out of the lineup depending if you’ve got injuries or specific matchup. And for $850,000, that’s a great deal on one year. Awesome. Yeah, it’s cheap. Anything under a million dollars I would have been okay with. Um vet minimum is 775. So it’s a it’s a touch more than that, which is fine. Um and that’s to me like that kind of deal says either six defenseman or depth, which you need. And to lose credit, I’ll give him some credit here. I think he did did a pretty good job finding uh depth on defense last year when they were pretty banged up. Yeah, absolutely. And maybe they didn’t all work out type of things pointing to Scott Peranovich who doesn’t have a deal right now. Um but there is something you said Adam Bokeis worked out and again utility player can play not only on defense but forward as well if you really need him to. Ideally, you don’t need him to fill in on forward and you have enough fors to play. Um, but the Islanders didn’t last year because they just can’t recruit players, which speaks to our development issue that Metsu Dash tried to speak about yesterday. Um, so a good good player, good addition, good contract. There’s nothing to complain about with with Adam Bokeis. And same thing with the comments like there’s no issue here from Chris, although he wants, you know, Tony D back. Um, very happy to see Tony D or sorry, Bowis back here from Sloppy. Like everyone’s big big on that one. You want to hear the trade protection? Oh no. The fact that there is some is already bothering. Oh no. Year one full no trade. Year two 16 team no trade. Okay. That are you joining me on the on the concerned side of this? I I don’t like that. Maybe that was out there when who was it that brought up the no trade here in the comments that I that I looked at. I I lost it now. I’m sorry. Um, and I was like, it was Chris who says, “Told you.” Um, uh, like it wouldn’t be a Lou deal without that, right? Everybody gets it. Why? Why, man? It like you don’t you don’t need to do that. You don’t need to do that. You paid him less. I don’t I don’t understand why you would have to give him a full no trade protection in the first year of the contract. So that means we can’t trade him unless he signs off on it until July 1 and next year and even then it was a 16 team no trade list he can say no to half the league for what like loyalty. What did he do to deserve that kind of like that kind of treatment? He scored 54 goals in two years. That’s great but that doesn’t deserve no trade clauses. No. And to me, it’s not so much about the 475 not being worth it for someone who gives you 25 goals, right? Like, if you average out the last two years, it’s 27, 30, and 24. That’s not my gripe. My gripe is more so with the age. And everyone says that, okay, like the Islanders need to retool. We need to shuffle the deck a little bit. And then you’re resigning one of your guys where you you had an out. this was, you know, opening up a spot for Simon Holmstrom to go from a third liner up to the to a second line spot potentially. And now that’s gone unless, you know, unless Holstrom’s going to be on the second line and Pomero will be on the third. But Pome wasn’t really all that good after Brock Nelson was traded at the deadline, too. His numbers went down. Yeah, that that’s totally fair. If we look at those numbers there, like um can I bring it up the game logs? Oh my god, I clicked on the wrong thing. Uh game logs. Brock was traded at the trade deadline, which was March 5th, was it not? Something like that. Seventh, maybe. Uh, he played 21 games post Brock. Can you wager a guess on how many points he scored in 21 games? 10. Seven. Oh, seven points, four goals, three assists. Um, so you’ve got a point there that the numbers go down. I did want to bring up like someone mentioned we’re trying to get faster and this doesn’t I know we’ve moved on from from Adam Bokequist here but we’re talking about um the big the bigger one. I feel like we made our point with Bquest. Yeah. And and I don’t think we’re are going to get any disagreement there. Um but when we look at his just his NHL his top skating speed his NHL edge page over the last two years or three years. So 22 23 he was below 50%. 23-24 below 50% for top skating speed. But in 24-25, he jumped up to 66 percentile for top skating speed. So either the rest of the NHL got slower or Kyle Palary hit a new gear last season in terms of speed. Um, and skating distance 92 percentile. The guy is always moving. He’s not slow. He’s not the fastest either. He’s not speedy Gonzalez out there. But like the only thing I don’t like about this contract is that that the trade protection that should not exist. Trade protection. This doesn’t really fit the We want to play good defense either. Well, I don’t know. Does he play bad defense? I would say he’s he’s not their worst defensive uh maybe he is their worst defensive forward. I mean, he is a winger, right? Like wingers aren’t supposed to be your your greatest defensive players. That’s what centers are for. True. I’m I’m fine with the winger being not that great defensively. That’s why we put Barrett Barsy on the wing. Yeah. Well, I I hope it works out. That’s That’s it. That’s all I’m going to say. I hope it works out, too. Um I don’t know. I like like Mercyy’s saying, it would have been much better with a one-year deal for Palmary. I feel a two-year deal wasn’t that great. Age is the main problem. And that’s kind of where you’re sitting at. I believe where it ends. Age is the main problem here. If it was I don’t think you would have as much criticism from me if it was one year at that AAV and no trade protection. I I would be I’d say, “Okay, fine. Fine. I’ll give you the same deal, but like one year or same money.” Yeah. But that second the second year in the trade protection in my opinion blocks them from potentially doing other things to their top six which is what I was hoping to see this off season. Yeah. Like now and not now we’re not moving him for at least another year which maybe it all works out right. Maybe he he becomes not becomes but stays a 50point player and and that’s great but that requires the other guys around him for step to step up as well. So I like what Jack is saying here that he’s severely underrated for some reason. Put him anywhere in the lineup and he makes everyone in the ice with him better. I don’t know about that last sense sentence but I do agree that he’s underrated. Like he he does a lot for this team that kind of goes unnoticed. He didn’t make his linemates better post Brock. seemed like he was kind of carried with by Brock. Yeah. So, I I I’m not going to say that he makes them around those around him better, but he is a good player. The 475 is maybe a little bit high. It’s the It’s really the trade protection. And even I’m fine with the 475, but if you want to talk me down you at home to like four, it should be four. Cool. I’m okay with that. Um but like that no trade protection is really my god, Lou, come on, man. Well, any any closing thoughts here as we come to to an end on this this live reaction? I I guess the only one is how many Lou contracts are still left in the cupboard or the drawer, I should say. How many more are going to come out? Are all the RFA? Well, don’t worry, Matthew Dar. I negotiated all the RFA deals for you. You don’t have anything to do. Exactly. Right. So, like we we’ll we’ll see what comes out of it there. But, uh, this is not a great position to put the new GM in. Like, sure, you’ve got the first overall pick, but I’ve negotiated contracts for the guys beforehand. Well, I could look like an and not agree to them, or I could just sign them and then people crap on me. Like, it’s lose- lose for me dash. Yeah. I’m not I’m not putting any blame on Matthew Dar with this, by the way. It’s more like I can’t believe they let Lou do that in a way. Yeah, absolutely. I Why would you let Andre said it in the comments and I I can’t find it now because there’s a lot of comments in there, but Andre said that like why would you let a lame duck There it is. 100% falls on ownership. Never let a lame duck GM negotiate contracts. I I don’t understand that. Why would you do that? Guys, if you’re hanging with us, please make sure to subscribe if you aren’t subscribed already. Leave a like on the stream before you head out of here. Really helps us out a lot. We appreciate all the love and support. That’ll do it. I’m Matt Ori. He is Mitch Anderson. And we’ll catch you next time.

Matt and Mitch react to the New York Islanders signing Kyle Palmieri and Adam Boqvist

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