It was shaping up to be a quiet first day of free agency for the Islanders, but general manager Mathieu Darche ended up making some noise on July 1 after all.

The Isles signed left wing Jonathan Drouin to a two-year deal at a $4 million average annual value, adding some much-needed scoring help to the middle of their lineup. The addition of Drouin, along with Tony DeAngelo and David Rittich, made it a busy Tuesday for the Islanders. Ethan Bear, Cole McWard and Matthew Highmore also signed two-way deals.

Though the other signings were mainly about depth and, in DeAngelo’s case, bringing back a player to plug a lineup hole, Drouin’s was purely for impact.

“We wanted to bring a bit of talent up front, especially to help the power play, and that’s what Jonathan Drouin is gonna do,” Darche said on a Zoom call. “He’s an elite power-play player. He can bring some offense. He’ll play in our top six.”

The 30-year-old from Ste Agathe, Quebec saw his career get a major lift over the past two seasons with the Avalanche — for whom he totaled 93 points (30 goals, 63 assists) over 122 games across the 2023-24 and ’24-25 seasons, playing for a coaching staff that included newly minted Isles assistant Ray Bennett. Like Anthony Duclair, the winger the Isles signed on July 1 last year, Drouin does have a dotted injury history and has rarely played a full season, including just 43 games this past season.

In Duclair’s case, that history came back to bite the Islanders when he suffered a groin injury just a few games into the season. That kept Duclair out until late December and affected his game all year upon returning, leading to an ugly end to his season when coach Patrick Roy publicly questioned his effort.

The upside with Drouin, however, is considerable. And given both the lack of scoring available on the market and the short-term deal — Darche, notably, said he didn’t want to commit to anyone long term — it’s a risk arguably worth taking.

“He really fits what we need right now,” Darche said. “We need a guy that can move the puck on the power play, a guy that can play top six with guys like Bo Horvat, who likes to shoot. Jo is a great passer. So he fits our need right now and will help us right away.”

Though the Islanders have remained interested in Maxim Shabanov, the Russian free agent set to come to the NHL this summer, the club is nearing capacity for NHL contracts if it is not already there.

Getting contracts done with their remaining restricted free agents is the next order of business for Darche, who got that process moving Tuesday by giving Simon Holmstrom a two-year bridge deal at $3.65 million annually, per TSN’s Darren Dreger.

Darche also said that things remain on track with Max Tsyplakov, Emil Heineman and Marc Gatcomb, the club’s other RFAs.

The Noah Dobson trade last week, though, did ultimately allow Darche to make more roster moves than it initially appeared he’d be able to — and the picture heading into training camp looks pretty clear.

For starters, assuming the Islanders bring back all their remaining restricted free agents, it appears there’s enough depth on the wing to split Horvat and Mat Barzal, returning No. 13 to his natural position at center.

Further down the lineup, it also looks like Cal Ritchie, Kyle MacLean and Gatcomb will be fighting for roster spots, and facing an uphill climb to make the lineup.

Though nobody will mistake the Islanders for a Cup contender, the two-track approach Darche has employed this offseason appears to be paying off.

The Islanders should continue competing for the playoffs in the short term, and, buoyed by No. 1 overall Matthew Schaefer, their prospect pipeline has taken a major step forward.

“I think we stayed disciplined today,” Darche said. “In all honesty, I think we improved the team.”