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The New York Islanders made a return trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2023 but were quickly ousted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. Returning to the playoffs was a solid step forward, but the Islanders will be looking for more this season.
However, getting to that point is going to be a tall order. The Islanders have been pretty average the last two years and haven't made many additions to bolster their roster. With other Eastern Conference teams on the rise, New York will likely be clawing for a playoff spot once again next season.
With that said, here is the biggest concern with the Islanders' roster ahead of the 2023-24 NHL season.
Islanders' biggest roster concern deep into 2023 NHL free agency
Old Age and Long Contracts
New York has a ton of veteran players on its roster, and to be fair, that's not entirely a bad thing. The Islanders play a very sound defensive game and don't take many penalties, and that style of play works because of their disciplined veterans. Lou Lamoriello loves his veteran players, and in some cases, that line of thinking works out.
However, there comes a point where the number of older players on the roster can be a detriment, and the Islanders are either walking that line very tightly or already over it. They have nine players on their roster that are 30 or older, and with seven of them being forwards, that's half of their entire forward corps. The Islanders have an average age of 29.8, which is the fifth-highest in the league behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (30), Boston Bruins (30.2), Washington Capitals (30.3) and Pittsburgh Penguins (31.8). Admittedly, though, it is better than in recent years when they've been THE oldest team in the league.
Being old is one thing, but the Islanders have yet another problem on their hands. Simply put, their contract situation is awful right now. They have several long-term deals that carry huge cap hits, which not only hamper their cap situation now, but especially in the future. For clarity, let's take a look at some of those deals.
- Bo Horvat: $8.5 million a year until 2031; currently 28, will be 36 when deal ends
- Anders Lee: $7 million a year until 2026; currently 33, will be 36 when deal ends
- Casey Cizikas: $2.5 million a year until 2027; currently 32, will be 36 when deal ends
- Ryan Pulock: $6.15 million a year until 2030; currently 28, will be 35 when deal ends
- Scott Mayfield: $3.5 million a year until 2030; currently 30, will be 37 when deal ends
- Semyon Varlamov: $2.75 million a year until 2027; currently 35, will be 39 when deal ends
To be clear, those players aren't being listed because they're bad; many of them are actually great. Horvat is coming off a 40-goal season (even if his production fell off with the Islanders), Lee is the team's unquestioned leader, Pulock is a defensive machine and so on.
However, no one can deny that's a lot of money to commit to players in their mid to late 30s. Sure they're good now, but how will they be at the end of their deals? With so many long-term deals (plus a barren prospect pool) the future looks bleak on Long Island.
Even disregarding that for a second, what is the Islanders' upside right now? We just saw them be a first-round exit to a team that beat them at their own game, and they've made essentially zero changes to the lineup. They had some great runs to the conference finals in 2020 and 2021, but it feels as if their best chance to win the cup has already passed them by.
Even if the Islanders wanted to rebuild, though, they essentially can't due to the aforementioned contracts. With a middling present and a so-so future, the Islanders will have to get creative sooner rather than later.
