The New York Islanders’ core is a mix of youth and veterans acquired through the draft, trades, and free agency. At this point, each contract has been signed by general manager Lou Lamoriello. Some deals are team-friendly and some are not. With Noah Dobson and Anthony Duclair ranking as some of the better contracts on the team, which deals are holding the team back?
Contracts are ranked by the remaining term, AAV, clauses, and the player’s role on the team.
Honorable Mentions: Ryan Pulock (6 x $6.15 million AAV), Ilya Sorokin (8 x $8.25 million AAV), Bo Horvat (7 x $8.5 million AAV)
Ryan Pulock, Ilya Sorokin, and Bo Horvat are all fairly compensated players who have been pivotal to the team’s recent success and future outlook. Despite each player being on a reasonable AAV, the terms of each deal leave them as honorable mentions.
5. Adam Pelech (5 x 5.75 million AAV)
Adam Pelech embodies what it means to be an Islander through his gritty, team-first, and defensive-oriented playstyle. However, the past two seasons have shown a decline in his play due to multiple long-term injuries that have caused him to miss 45 games. Even when the soon-to-be 30-year-old was on the ice, he did not look like his usual self.
Pelech’s 38.8 and 48.8 goal percentages (G%) in the past two seasons were incredibly disappointing, especially for someone supposed to be one of the Islander’s top defensemen. It does not make me happy to be so critical of a fan favorite who has endured so much adversity, but the reality is he needs to be better. There should be no doubt he can bounce back this season, but until then, his contract is poor value.
4. Jean-Gabriel Pageau (2 x $5 million AAV)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau is not necessarily overpaid, but his questionable role on the Islanders lands him on this list. For $5 million AAV, being a great defensive center is not enough. There is a clear market for players like Pageau, but for a team as cap-tight as the Islanders, it does not make sense to be paying a third-line center so much money. This is not a bad contract but rather a confusing one that has prevented the team from making the necessary additions to bolster the top six.
3. Pierre Engvall (6 x $3 million AAV)
Despite many fan’s beliefs, Pierre Engvall had a solid 2023-24 season. He ranked third among Islanders’ forwards in G% (57.3), first in expected goals percentage (58.0), sixth in expected goals (16.5), eighth in goals (10), and eighth in points (28). In terms of the annual average, his $3 million AAV is team-friendly. He is not a top-six winger, but he provides everything the Islanders want in a bottom-six winger with his speed, defensive awareness, and hockey IQ.
Related: Islanders Need a Blockbuster Trade to Become Serious Contenders
However, paying a 28-year-old depth forward for six additional seasons, especially one that relies so heavily on their skating, is a polarizing contract. Even if Engvall maintains his speed, his contract is unmovable given his 16-team no-trade clause and six-season term. If there were two years left this would be a different story, but given the term and trade clause, it is a tough contract to have.
2. Anders Lee (2 x $7 million AAV)
Despite having great analytics last season, Anders Lee’s production took a massive hit, and there is little reason to believe this season will be any different. The Islanders captain is 34 years old, has lost his edge, and is likely to be demoted to the middle six. Paying $7 million for a 20-goal scorer with little offensive upside and minimal defensive impact will make it difficult for any team to navigate the salary cap. Lee is a great person, works hard, and cares a lot about the Islanders, but he will need to beat the odds to live up to the final two seasons of his contract.
1. Scott Mayfield (6 x $3.5 million AAV)
While listing Scott Mayfield as the Islanders’ worst contract is inherently demeaning, his placement is due to many factors, not just his on-ice impact. He is a great defensive defenseman, but his role on the Islanders makes his contract a burden. The future of the right side of the defense is secured with Dobson and Pulock, so paying $3.5 million AAV for six years with a no-trade clause for someone guaranteed to be stuck on the third pairing is unbearable.
While Mayfield struggled with a serious injury for the entirety of the 2023-24 season, Dobson and Pulock accounted for 77.4% of possible ice time. Even if Mayfield stayed healthy and performed well last season, his placement on this list would not change. At 31 years old, six additional seasons, and $3.5 million AAV with a no-trade clause for a third-pairing defenseman, there is no world where this deal ages well.
Luckily for the Islanders, most of their contract issues stem from the length of each deal rather than the AAV. If the team can go on a few deep playoff runs in the next few seasons, the length of these deals will be bearable. However, if they remain in mediocrity, the future of the franchise will have some dark seasons in store.
