Outside of the Stanley Cup Final, the big NHL news this week was about the salary cap, which will increase significantly for the first time since the pandemic. It’s a sigh of relief for many teams and the big news involving the salary cap (the subsequent big news came a few days later when the Washington Capitals decided to purchase CapFriendly leaving many fans who use the site annoyed). Suddenly, every team has more room to spend, make big moves, or re-sign players.
Related: Islanders’ Anders Lee: Buy Out, Trade, or Keep?
The New York Islanders needed this boost. They’ve stagnated in recent seasons and the extra cap space should give them new life. The question is what will General Manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello do with the extra space? Predicting what he’ll do is like predicting how much the cap will go up when you don’t have a go-to website to do that.
Islanders Can Make a Big Signing
The Islanders now have the space to make a big signing, especially with veterans Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin projected to come off the books. They could target a few skaters to address needs on the roster, notably at the forward position where the team lacks scoring. Jake Guentzel will likely sign a $9 million or $10 million per year deal and that extra cap space could allow the Islanders to add him this offseason.
The problem is that this type of move goes against everything Lamoriello believes in. As much as he loves scorers and finding centers who can find the back of the net, he hates spending for it. The past few offseasons should be a reminder of his unwillingness to spend on scoring.
In the 2022 offseason, Lamoriello could have signed Johnny Gaudreau or Nazem Kadri, but he didn’t, allowing them to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Calgary Flames instead. He could have made a push for Alex Debrincat last summer but didn’t want to go all-in to get him, so the star scorer went to the Detroit Red Wings, his hometown team. It’s easy to look back and regret these moves, but great teams make big signings in the offseason, something the two teams in the Final have proved. Lamoriello might remain quiet in free agency, but he can and should use the extra cap space somewhere.
Lamoriello Can Take On a Contract in a Trade
The Islanders taking on a big contract in a trade would mean one of two things. Either they are looking to compete and acquire a star in a big trade or they are looking to retool or reboot, and by adding a player with a hefty cap hit, they would be compensated with a draft pick.
The first option is ideal, especially from the fans’ perspective. The Islanders could trade for Mitch Marner or Pavel Buchnevich to address their top six and extend them after they arrive. Lamoriello made this type of trade for Bo Horvat, and it gave the Islanders a key player to build around.
The other option wouldn’t necessarily put the Islanders in a playoff spot, but with room to maneuver, they could be risky with a trade or two. A Jesperi Kotkaniemi deal is a good example of a risk worth taking. The Islanders could trade for him and possibly acquire a draft selection in the process; if he revives his career, the move will look like a savvy one by Lamoriello. The team would have the cap space to make it work and the opportunity to add a young forward to an aging lineup.
Islanders Can Extend Dobson and Romanov
This seems like the most likely move Lamoriello will make with the extra cap space. Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov are entering a contract year next season, and both defensemen have been bargains on their “bridge” deals, emerging as the top two blueliners on the team. It makes sense for Lamoriello to lock them up long-term.
Giving both Dobson and Romanov big extensions would solidify the defense for years to come. The other skaters on the unit are starting to age, and these two give the Islanders a new core to build around. Dobson is the two-way threat, while Romanov is the hard hitter and the shot blocker who rounds it out.
It’s easy to assume that Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri will be the priorities to re-sign, and understandably so since they’ve been two of the more valuable skaters on the Islanders in recent seasons. The catch is that they are older, and their future with the team isn’t a certainty. Nelson will likely remain an Islander for life and sign a team-friendly deal to stick around before his jersey is ultimately raised in the rafters. Palmieri, meanwhile, could be on his way out by the end of next season, and if the Islanders hand out extensions, he could be traded this offseason.
Cap Space Tests Lamoriello’s Willingness to Buy In
In the past, Lamoriello could point to the cap as an excuse not to make a big move. He can’t do that this offseason. The Islanders have a chance to reshape their roster, and Lamoriello can’t say he’s confident in the current group and the players in place.
The question is how the Islanders will choose to look different next season. Even if they re-sign Dobson and Romanov and keep the moves in-house, they should look to add talent. A few prospects look ready for the call-up to the NHL level, and they can find opportunities to round out the bottom six. Similarly, the Islanders could use the cap space to add depth forwards and a scoring touch to the later lines, which failed to generate offense last season, rather than make a splash.
It’s hard to call this offseason a make-or-break one for Lamoriello. However, at this point, there aren’t many excuses left for him to avoid making a significant upgrade.
