With another memorable playoff run in the books, the Islanders now face a difficult offseason. They have a number of key free agents and only $5 million in projected cap space. There’s also the Seattle Kraken to consider, with the Islanders having to sacrifice a player to them in the expansion draft. It’s bound to be a very busy offseason for Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello in trying to maintain the team’s status as a playoff contender. Here is the New York Islanders offseason preview.
Courtesy of NHL
The Islanders have to give Seattle a player through the expansion draft, but the Islanders could try to use this to their advantage. One way is by trading Seattle draft picks to take a large, undesirable contract. The prime candidate for this kind of deal would be Andrew Ladd. The lasting stain of the Garth Snow era, Ladd is still owed approximately $8 million over the next two years. Getting rid of that contract is going to be a priority with cap space so tight this offseason. This strategy presents the easiest way for that to happen, but it’s also highly unlikely. Ladd hasn’t played a full NHL season since 2017-2018, making a trade for him even more undesirable. Plus, the Islanders are out a first round pick this year due to the Palmieri trade, making this possibility even more difficult.
The other strategy the Islanders could use in regards to Seattle is making Nick Leddy and Jordan Eberle available. Both of them have salaries at around $5.5 million and would also give the Islanders much needed cap space. And unlike Andrew Ladd, these are two regular starters who Seattle would have no problem selecting. The flaw here is that the Islanders would have to replace a starting player if Seattle were to choose one of them. It’ll be interesting to see how Lou Lamoriello maneuvers through the expansion draft and if he can use it advantageously.
The Islanders have three important players heading into restricted free agency this offseason. Those players are Adam Pelech, Anthony Beauvillier and Ilya Sorokin. While there’s little to no doubt that they’ll all sign new contracts, the Islanders have to make more cap room for them first. If the aforementioned strategy of sending Ladd to Seattle fails, they’ll be looking for other ways to clear that contract first and foremost. After that, the Islanders might have to trade a starter to further clear up cap space. One intriguing idea is for the Islanders to attempt to move Semyon Varlamov. He’s making $10 million over the next two years and isn’t getting any younger. With the strong play of 25 year old Sorokin this season, Varlamov and his contract suddenly seem expendable. Whatever happens, these contract negotiations and cap moves are bound to be prolonged through most of the offseason. But Lou Lamiorello has already proven that he can maneuver the cap and keep his restricted free agents once before, so he can be trusted to do so again.
Career Islander Casey Cizikas and trade deadline acquisition Kyle Palmieri are two very important players. Cizikas’ physical defensive style is part of what makes the 4th line so routinely great. His work on faceoffs and the penalty kill will also be a huge loss if he were to leave. Although Palmieri is a new addition to the team, his work in the playoffs was crucial. He finished tied for the team lead in goals in the postseason, and the Islanders would benefit from having his scoring touch throughout the regular season as well.
Courtesy of AP Photo
Both of these players are unrestricted free agents for the Islanders this offseason, but there is some good news. According to Lamoriello, both players have expressed interest in returning to the team. But the bad news is that he also expressed concern over if there would be cap space to keep them. After taking care of the restricted free agents, there isn’t going to be much left to give out. The unfortunate truth of this situation is that the Islanders should brace to lose one if not both of them. Given the value of the identity line to the Islanders, Cizikas is the likelier choice to return if there isn’t space for both. The specific status of these two players will rely heavily on the other moves the Islanders make and how interested other teams are in signing them.
Featured image courtesy of Getty Images
Check out our NHL page for more updates!
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers like Justin!
‘From our Haus to yours’
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
