Lou Lamoriello expects Islanders to re-sign their restricted free agents
Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello speaks with the media at Northwell Health Ice Center on May 6. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The money is there for this upcoming Islanders offseason. “Absolutely,” president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said on a conference call Monday.
The Islanders invested heavily in their future before Monday afternoon’s NHL trade deadline, acquiring center Jean-Gabriel Pageau from the Senators and signing him to a six-year, $30 million extension that starts next season, turning a potential rental player into a long-term core piece.
Last offseason, Lamoriello signed left wing Anders Lee to a seven-year, $49 million deal, center Brock Nelson to a six-year, $36 million deal, right wing Jordan Eberle to a five-year, $27.5 million deal and goalie Semyon Varlamov to a four-year, $20 million deal.
But the Islanders have three crucial restricted free agents to re-sign this summer in top-line center Mathew Barzal, top-pair defenseman Ryan Pulock and defenseman Devon Toews, all keys to the team’s power play.
Barzal, 22, is completing a three-year, $2.775 million deal and could be looking at a new deal with an annual average value of $7 million or higher. He does not have arbitration rights.
The arbitration-eligible Pulock, 25, is completing a two-year, $4 million deal and his market value could be about $6 million annually.
The arbitration-eligible Toews, 26, is completing a two-year, $1.4 million deal and could land a new deal of about $5 million annually.
“We’ll worry about that when the time comes,” Lamoriello said. “In our opinion, we certainly do [believe there’s enough flexibility to sign the RFAs]. We have every intention of signing our RFAs.”
The salary cap for this season is $81.5 million and it typically rises each season, though sometimes not by much.
According to capfriendly.com, the Islanders have $64.27 million committed next season to 19 players on the current roster, including injured players. That jumps to $68.70 million if Andrew Ladd is included.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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