After a quiet start to the 2023 unrestricted free agency window, the New York Islanders announced a slew of moves on Saturday. The team announced that Scott Mayfield, Pierre Engvall, and Semyon Varlamov will be back next season, signing on a pair of seven and four year deals, respectively. Additionally, Ilya Sorokin will be sticking around long term, as he agreed to terms on an eight year deal. The moves were announced by GM Lou Lamoriello, who typically hides his cards close to his chest with his team’s contracts.
With the moves now official, fans now know what their roster could look like next season; one of the key trade deadline adds will be back, a strong tandem of Sorokin and Varlamov will remain, and their defense will look mostly the same. After an eventful day one of free agency and other moves still possible, what are the takeaways from the Islanders’ moves?
The one noticeable thing about Mayfield and Engvall’s deals is that they are both very long. Both of them are seven years in length that will run until they are 37 and 34 respectively. While it seems bad on paper, it really isn’t the end of the world for their cap situation. Both players signed on $3.5 and $3 million respectively on average, both of which aren’t overly high numbers despite the term. While Mayfield will run until his late thirties, Engvall’s should cover the majority of his peak abilities as it expires in his mid-30’s. As a result, Lamoriello sacrificed some term in exchange to giving his players the money they wanted to keep them around. While the term may not age gracefully in some cases, it’s a necessary evil that won’t pose much strain on a salary cap that will likely grow in coming years.
With all these moves now announced, the Islanders have one player they’re still waiting on: Zach Parise. Parise, 38, enjoyed a strong campaign where he scored 20 goals last season but has gone on record stating that he is contemplating retirement or playing for the Islanders one more year. Lamoriello said in his press conference that they hope to have an answer soon, and that Parise’s spot on the roster is still open for him should he want it. With Parise’s decision still up in the air, it is possible that his career could be over the longer they wait. As a result, while the Islanders wait, it is imperative to ensure they have an option to fill his spot if he does indeed call it quits.
Reports have surfaced that Ottawa Senators’ goal scorer Alex DeBrincat is available via trade. The Senators have allowed his agent to negotiate with other, and the Islanders are reportedly one team in the running. Reports from Andrew Gross of Newsday and Stefen Rosner of NHL.com have indicated that, should a deal be completed, center Jean-Gabriel Pageau will be part of the return to Ottawa. While reaching an agreement on a package is a key part of negotiations, the Islanders have keep the restricted free agent around long term.
With just north of $1 million in cap space to play with, it will take one or two moves outside of moving Pageau to make it work. However, Lou Lamoriello said he will resort to “hockey trades” to improve his roster, and if the Islanders can finish a deal off, it provides Mathew Barzal with a scoring winger that he’s desperately needed for so long.
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