Islanders could go bargain hunting as Identity Line decision looms in NHL free agency

After the draft and the buyout period came and went, the Islanders are going to July 1 without an obvious path to making a splash.It’s always possible that Lou Lamoriello could pull a rabbit out of the hat, and reports out of Winnipeg have connected the Islanders to scoring wing Nikolaj Ehlers and top prospect Rutger McGroarty — two players who fit what the Islanders need to a T and are thought to be available in a potential trade — but as for free agency itself, the Isles simply don’t have the cap space necessary to do much.Unless some sort of trade can be made, the biggest question Monday is whether the Islanders re-sign franchise stalwarts Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck or let them walk and bring in a fourth line that is not the Identity Line.Such a move is unlikely to have a dramatic effect on how the Islanders are projected to finish in 2024-25, but would bring shock waves to a dressing room where the pair are two of the players most emblematic of the Islanders’ core.Both said at breakup day that they wanted to continue playing next season.

Both knew it was a possibility that it would not be on Long Island.“There’s nothing I can say right now,” Lou Lamoriello said on the draft floor Saturday.“Right now, they’re free agents.

There’s nothing that’s been done.I’ve had my conversations with them, they’ve had theirs with me.

The three of us, independently the two [of them], we know exactly what the situation is.We’ll just have to wait and see.”There are some in-house options if the Islanders choose to remake the fourth line, namely Hudson Fasching, who was miscast in a middle-six role last season.

But that would likely be a spot where the Islanders would look to spend what limited money they have available — $5.65 million, not counting the cost of re-signing restricted free agents Simon Holmstrom, Ruslan Iskhakov and Oliver Wahlstrom, all of whom were qualified on Sunday.If the Isles are going to go budget shopping on Monday, t...