The COVID-19 pandemic has made a significant impact on the financial situation of several National Hockey League teams. With a flat salary cap, several teams are in cap crunches and are looking to make moves to clear that space for the short term, and the Islanders are among those teams. New York was looking to sign Devon Toews, Ryan Pulock, and Mat Barzal to contracts, but several bad deals from the past are coming back to haunt their ambitions.

With the team being strapped into several bad contracts, Devon Toews was unable to be signed and was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for two second-round picks. Pulock was re-signed to a bridge deal, but Barzal is the only one remaining as a restricted free agent. While Barzal will likely be back in orange and blue, Anthony Beauvillier, Ilya Sorokin, and Adam Pelech are each due for contracts next offseason and no real relief is coming their way. As a result, in a flat cap era, the Islanders are in desperate need of cap relief and will need to Houdini their way to that relief.

While it will be hard to move cap in the short term, there is a possible solution for next offseason. The Seattle Kraken will join the National Hockey League as the 32nd club, and an expansion draft will help to solidify their roster. The last time an expansion draft occurred in the NHL, the Islanders were able to gain relief there as well. With the Vegas Golden Knights looking to reach the cap floor and the Islanders looking for extra protection, the team dealt Mikhail Grabovski’s contract, a first-round pick, and others to Vegas for extra protection. As a result, Lou Lamoriello may want to make a move to guarantee extra protection and long term cap relief. With this in mind, which players are most likely to be on the Seattle radar?

1. Josh Bailey

Josh Bailey has made a tremendous impact in time with the Islanders. He holds a spot on the team’s top ten for games played and assists and is right outside the top ten for points. However, there is a case to say that he is overpaid. He signed a six-year deal in 2018 worth $30 million, averaging to five million dollars per year. In a time with a non-moving salary cap, that is enough to say that his contract is an overpayment and may need to be moved. However, he may be the kind of player Seattle will want.

He is a leader in the locker room as an alternate captain, a solid playmaker that can score a big goal when needed, and came up big with several key plays in the team’s playoff run this year. If Seattle is willing to play long-range in their first few years, Bailey could be a good piece that can put up 50 points for a few years and help mentor the prospects. As a result, the Islanders may want to keep Bailey around, but his salary is just too much for the circumstances, and if the team can ship him off for expansion draft protection, it can be a win for both sides.

2. Nick Leddy

Leddy has been a name that has been in rumors for a while now. He is making $5.5 million for the next two years before becoming a UFA, and his contract has justification for a trade. However, Lamoriello and head coach Barry Trotz have consistently gone on record saying how he fits well with the team moving forward. Even though the coaching staff may like him, like Bailey, his contract may be a bit too much for the circumstances, meaning that he will need to be flipped to create cap room. With this in mind, Leddy can add a lot of offensive punch to the Seattle blue line if a deal came to fruition.

He can add great speed to any defense, and that speed can create several scoring chances. He is also a quality power-play quarterback that can take time on a team’s top unit. His defensive skills do leave much to be desired, but if Seattle uses him properly, he can be a decent find to bolster the top four on defense and power play. He and Johnny Boychuk were a strong pair when first brought together, so the same could apply here if it comes to be.

3. Scott Mayfield

This choice is more based on the circumstances surrounding Mayfield than the player himself. For Mayfield, there’s a lot to like. His play on defense has come a long way since Barry Trotz took over, and he does the little things right on defense. He doesn’t light up the scoresheet like Leddy does, but a team can never go wrong with having a defenseman like him on their roster. Although Mayfield may not have the heftiest contract on the team, $1.45 million for the next three years, it won’t cost the team that much to shed his salary. Also, the team has a young right-handed defenseman in Noah Dobson trying to join the team in a full-time role in the near future, so if the team feels he’s ready, a move can give Dobson the chance to make an impact in an expanded role. However, this scenario is all depending on Dobson’s development moving forward, so the chances of this happening are to be determined.

4. Andrew Ladd

This is essentially a replay of the Grabovski scenario back in 2017. Heading into the offseason, Grabovski had suffered several injuries between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons and missed the entire 2016-17 season due to injuries. With him being due $5 million for one more year, trying to dump his salary made sense with the team looking to re-sign John Tavares and Bailey before 2018’s free agency period. As a result, the Islanders found a way to ship him off for expansion draft protection and cap relief. However, the price to lift that contract was exorbitant, including a first-round pick in that year’s draft, a second in 2019, prospect Jake Bischoff, and future considerations.

As a result, the team had to leave a lot on the table to shed a hefty contract, and with three years left at $5.5 million, it won’t be any easier, especially considering his decline. His offensive output has fallen off, and he has suffered several long term injuries over the past few years. Although the team came close to shipping him off for Zach Parise, this scenario will be much more difficult to manage a fair deal. However, if Seattle is willing to bite the bullet but also reap the rewards of the sweeteners in the deal, it may be a win for both sides. New York can wash its hands from one of the worst contracts in hockey, and the Kraken can see their rise to the contention take a shot in the arm.

5. Leo Komarov

This scenario is essentially Grabovski 2.0, but the circumstances are different. Komarov has seen his game slow drastically since coming to the Islanders, and the team will be looking for a way to shed his salary with the cap issues it has. Also, the team may be looking to get younger with Kieffer Bellows or Oliver Wahlstrom potentially taking a larger role, so Komarov will likely be the one to be moved to clear that roster spot. He carries a noticeably smaller cap hit than Grabovski, $3 million dollars, and will be making that for one more year after this season is over. As a result, the team will likely have to pay a lesser yet fairly steep price to dump that kind of salary for that kind of player at age 33. However, like the Ladd scenario, if the Kraken are willing to bite the short term bullet for the future capital, this could turn out to be a win-win for both sides.

Overall, New York will need to find a way to clear cap room at some point in time; however, if the Islanders can’t find any in the short term future, the upcoming Seattle expansion draft can be a place to find that relief. The team was able to benefit from the 2017 draft, so a trade to Seattle may be on the table in 2021. Of course, this is all speculation, and Lamoriello’s plans are unknown, but if the team has serious thoughts about dumping cap, these five players are the most likely players the Islanders can move come the expansion draft.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.