The New York Islanders have a hole on the wing, and there is one option on this year’s free-agent market that would fill it. Ivan Barbashev was traded at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline to the Vegas Golden Knights from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward prospect Zach Dean. He is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) this summer, and based on his playoff success, he is due for a big pay raise. The 27-year-old was a physical force so far in the postseason and is proving he is a big game player. Although Barbashev’s natural position is center, the Golden Knights have used him on the first-line left-wing spot with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault, and he has excelled. He has 17 points in just 19 playoff games so far and set the tone with his physicality. Barbashev was a key reason the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup last night, eliminating the Florida Panthers in five games.
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One of Barbashev’s teammates, Alec Martinez, has been impressed with his play since the trade. “He opens up a lot of space for those other two guys on his line with his physicality. He’s shown that he’s capable of scoring big goals, too. He’s one of those guys where you can insert him anywhere and he’s going to be successful. He’s truly a hockey player,” (from ‘Golden Knights’ Ivan Barbashev is a money player — how much will he make this summer?’, The Athletic, 6/7/23). There will be plenty of teams interested in him this summer, and the Golden Knights may not be able to retain him with their tight salary cap space. If Barbashev hits the market and the Islanders can find a way to clear cap space, he would be the perfect complement on the first line with Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. He would open up so much space for the two playmakers with his physicality. The big concern would be, is the price tag too high?
Contract Value for Barbashev
Before the playoff run with the Golden Knights, the price tag for Barbashev was projected to be somewhere around an average annual value (AAV) of 3.3 million, according to Dom Luszczyszyn (from ‘Top 50 NHL unrestricted free agents: From Ryan O’Reilly to Tyler Bertuzzi and more’, The Athletic, 5/18/23). The low cap hit was because of Barbashev’s defensive struggles the past few seasons, but his play this postseason will erase any of that concern. The two-time Stanley Cup champion will cash in on the open market. There will be many teams after him because he is still so young and hasn’t hit his full offensive potential yet.
Given his strong playoff performance, Barbashev is sure to generate a ton of interest around the league. According to CapFriendly, the Golden Knights only have about $3.46 million in cap space going into the offseason. With a deal owed to the goaltender who just won the cup for them, Adin Hill, Barbashev will likely hit the open market unless the Golden Knights can clear out a few contracts. General Manager (GM) Kelly McCrimmon has proven in the past that he isn’t afraid to make bold decisions, and if he wants to keep Barbashev, he will find a way. Now looking at it from the Islanders’ interest, they will have just as tough of a decision if they want to bring in a free agent like him.
Islanders Cap Crunch
Of course, it would be nice for GM Lou Lamoriello to target a player like Barbashev. He fits multiple holes for this team, but most importantly, he would solidify the first line with Barzal and Horvat. The Islanders have a lot of maneuvering if they want to bring in a top free agent. The first decision has to be about some of their impending UFAs. Lamoriello has to decide if they will retain defenseman Scott Mayfield, who is looking for a big pay raise. He also has to make a decision on Pierre Engvall, Semyon Varlamov, and if veteran Zach Parise will return. The Islanders enter the offseason with about $5.3 million in cap space before making any moves. One way they can clear cap space is by moving on from forward Josh Bailey, who is on the last year of his deal. Lamoriello stated that, “In Josh’s case, it looks like maybe it’s near the end for (him) here.” (from ‘Islanders’ Josh Bailey ‘near the end,’ Bo Horvat ‘overused’: Takeaways from Lou Lamoriello’s presser,’ The Athletic, 6/6/23).
If the Islanders can find a way to unload Bailey’s $5 million cap hit, they can find a way to squeeze in Barbashev. The Islanders showed during their first-round series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes this past season that they are still lacking scorers. Barbashev’s size and physicality would open up a lot more room for Barzal and Horvat and would also create space on the power play. Lamoriello has to get creative this offseason because he still believes in this core, but there are still major holes on the roster. A player like Barbashev can check off multiple boxes and help the Islanders immediately. Considering the amount of interest he will get, they would likely have to outbid any team to land him. It would be a smart decision to go after the 27-year-old if they could clear the space.
