New York Islanders can get rid of Andrew Ladd with free compliance buyout
By Ed Stein
Isles salary cap situation
According to capfriendly.com, the Isles will have 30 contracts totaling $71.38M in 2020-21. They aren’t in “Cap Hell” just yet. But there are some points to consider.
Their best player Mathew Barzal is a pending restricted free agent (RFA). The 23-year-old pivot is due for a hefty raise from the $863K he is currently earning on his expiring entry-level contract. Defensemen Ryan Pulock and Devon Toews are also pending RFAs.
As the team’s top two scoring defensemen, as well as first and fourth respectively in time on ice, both men are looking at a nice bump in pay. Additionally, Derick Brassard, Matt Martin, Tom Kuhnhackl, Thomas Greiss and Andy Greene are all unrestricted free agents who will either need to be re-signed or replaced.
It doesn’t get much better in 2021-22. The economy will be making a slow comeback but not to the level it was before the pandemic. Anthony Beauvillier, Adam Pelech and some very promising forwards hit restricted free agency. Also team sparkplug/swiss army knife Casey Cizikas‘ current contract expires making him an unrestricted free agent.
So the Isles are in fair but not great shape moving forward. New York Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello will likely need to trade away a core player to stay within the confines of NYI’s internal cap let alone the league’s. Help may be on the way.