


Mathieu Darche continued to check boxes off his to-do list Wednesday.
The Islanders announced a two-year deal with Emil Heineman after trading for the restricted free agent’s rights in the deal that sent Noah Dobson to Montreal.
The deal came in at $1.1 million annually, per a source.
Heineman, who will likely slot into the fourth line, had 10 points and eight assists with the Habs last season while playing a physical and competitive style of hockey that appealed to Darche.
The Swede played 62 games last year, missing time after getting hit by a car in Salt Lake City.
On the ice from Long Island
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“We really wanted him to be in the trade, so we pushed to the end to be in the trade,” Darche said last week. “He’s a player the league discovered this year. He had a great start to the year.
“… We see potential. He’s a strong kid that skates great, he’s got a rocket of a shot. If you look at his goals, it’s a high-velocity shot that can score. We see a lot of potential in this player. The cap hit right now works, it helps us maybe create other opportunities somewhere else cause he’s an NHL player. He’s an established NHL player now. We feel he can only improve in the coming years.”

The Islanders still have to get deals done for restricted free agents Max Tsyplakov and Marc Gatcomb. They’re also waiting on a decision from Russian free agent Max Shabanov.