In an Islanders dressing room in which everyone is good and familiar with each other, Julien Gauthier holds the strange title of being one of the only new faces.
Come opening night, Oct. 14, there is a good chance Gauthier will be the only player on the roster who did not wear blue and orange last year, since he is the only new player who signed a one-way NHL contract in training camp.
“I came [to Long Island] like a month ago, try to acquaint myself with the organization, the players,” Gauthier said following practice Saturday. “It’s been awesome so far. So no complaints.”
The 25-year-old native of Quebec is well-known around these parts; 131 of his 153 NHL games were played for the Rangers.
After he made his NHL debut with the Hurricanes in 2019, the Blueshirts acquired him in a trade that sent Joey Keane south. And after three seasons with the Rangers, during which Gauthier could never quite grab hold of a role, they packaged him to Ottawa with a seventh-round pick to bring back Tyler Motte last February.
The Islanders, though, liked Gauthier enough to sign him to a two-year deal at a $787,500 average annual value, offering him a chance to earn a spot in the bottom six.
“They showed me a lot of interest right away when free agency started,” Gauthier said. “They’ve seen me play quite a bit in the last few years because I was with the Rangers, so they got a good idea of what kind of player I was. It was great just connecting with them and seeing what they wanted.”
Exactly where Gauthier will slot into the lineup remains to be seen. He’ll need to earn an everyday spot in a competition that could squeeze him, Oliver Wahlstrom or Hudson Fasching out of the third line.
Speed, though, is something the Islanders are trying to build more of — and speed happens to be the best-known part of Gauthier’s game.
“It’s something that’s always useful for a team,” Gauthier said. “If I was a guy that can move and be physical, I’ll try to bring that every game here. If it can be a huge plus for the team, it’s good for me and for them, too. We’ll see how it connects.”
Kyle Palmieri missed his third straight day of camp with an undisclosed injury.