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The New York Islanders once again suffered from a lack of cap space, heading into the offseason.
Perpetually in a cap crunch over the last few seasons, the Islanders have struggled to add. As a result, the organization finds themselves in a bit of a stale spot right now. Much of the team's core, in Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Ilya Sorokin, Brock Nelson and others are in their late 20s or early 30s, which should set the team up to be in win-now mode. However, the roster lacks pieces, and without cap space available, they don't really have the means to improve.
As a result, free agency expectations for the Islanders were quite low. That said, the team did manage to make one notable addition, which should help them to be more competitive in the immediate future.
Below, we take a look at the Islanders' free agency, and assess their moves.
Anthony Duclair addition headlines Islanders' moves
Hands down, the Islanders' biggest move came in adding Anthony Duclair. New York signed the winger to a four-year contract, carrying a $3.5 million cap hit. The deal carries a no-trade clause for the first two years, before becoming a 16-team no-trade list in years three and four.
Duclair is coming off a year split between the San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning. Between the two teams, he scored 24 goals and 42 points in 73 games.
While the winger's production can be inconsistent from year to year, he's a perfect fit within the team's forward group. The Islanders desperately need help on the left side of their top-six, and Duclair can add speed and scoring. The expectation will be for him to play alongside either Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, or Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri.
Duclair's contract also comes in a little below value. Even if his production doesn't reach the heights we've previously seen, he's also shown to consistently be good for secondary production. His points-per-82 pace over 276 games across the last five seasons stands at 27 goals and 54 points, so even if Duclair is a little below that pace, he'll likely still be one of the team's most impactful forwards.
For a team with so little cap space, picking up Duclair is a huge get for New York. They were able to make a clear upgrade to their top-six, and did so at a very reasonable price.
Mike Reilly to return
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A smaller, but still notable move, was the team bringing back Mike Reilly. The Islanders re-signed the defenseman to a one-year contract, worth $1.25 million.
Reilly was claimed off waivers by New York part-way through the season, and ended up being a great fit in a depth role. Playing 59 games with the team, Reilly managed 24 points, while averaging over 17 minutes per game in ice time.
While Reilly isn't a long-term solution in New York, he's a great option for the team as it stands now. Noah Dobson is really the only other defenseman on the team who can contribute offensively, with all of Alexander Romanov, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, and Scott Mayfield primarily adding value through defensive stability. However, Reilly is a good skater who can move the puck up the ice, and is a little more active than others in the offensive zone. Especially at the price, Reilly can add an offensive element that the defense group doesn't have much of.
Other minor moves
The addition of Duclair and new contract for Reilly were the most impactful moves. However, there were a few other minor additions and departures worth noting.
The team added forward Liam Foudy on a one-year contract, at a $775,000 cap hit. Foudy was originally selected 18th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018. While he's never really materialized into a regular NHL forward, he could get into some games with the Islanders.
New York had also previously locked up Kyle MacLean on a three-year contract, and then recently re-signed Simon Holmstrom.
In terms of departures, the notable loss was Sebastian Aho. The defenseman spent seven seasons as part of the organization, playing 190 total games with the team, and managing 50 points across that time. While Aho was getting into action more regularly over the last couple of seasons, his role in a healthy Islanders' defense group with Reilly returning would've been a seventh defenseman, at best. Aho signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins in free agency.
The Islanders also didn't re-sign either of Cal Clutterbuck or Matt Martin. Two long-time fixtures of the fourth line, both forwards are now well into their 30s, and saw their impact decline in recent years. While neither player signed a deal with a different team, it's uncertain, or unlikely, that either returns to New York.
Considering the Islanders' lack of cap space, the addition of Duclair made for a positive free agency in New York. Duclair may not move the needle himself, but certainly makes the Islanders' top-six more formidable. Even if the moves weren't monumental, the team used their cap space as effectively as possible, and the Islanders look better than they did to end the 2023-24 season.
FINAL GRADE: B+
