After Wait, Mathew Barzal Has Re-Signed with the Islanders
Per David Pagnotta, Mathew Barzal has re-signed with the New York Islanders, agreeing to a three-year contract. Just minutes later, Arthur Staple, among others, confirmed Pagnotta’s report, while Andrew Gross tweeted the Islanders have confirmed the contract has been signed. The average annual value is $7 million, and the deal, per Darren Dreger, is backloaded. At the end of the deal, he will be an RFA with arbitration rights.
Per sources, the Islanders and RFA Mathew Barzal have agreed to terms on a 3-year deal.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) January 9, 2021
The Islanders’ star forward, who won the Calder Memorial Trophy in the 2017-18 season, is now coming off of his rookie contract. On his previous deal, Barzal’s production was exceeding his 2019-20 cap hit of $863,333.
His scoring peak came in his rookie season, reaching 85 points. While the Islanders were not able to make the playoffs that season, Barzal’s play and supreme ability quickly made him a fan-favorite. In his second and third full seasons, his point production dipped, potentially due to his play under Barry Trotz and Co. shifting to one of a two-way forward.
Barzal has also been, in its previous two iterations, the Islanders selection for the All-Star game. At the most recent All-Star game, Barzal was able to win the fastest skater competition.
Exiting the 2019-20 season, the Islanders knew they would have trouble in their financial department. The team only had $3.9 million to spend towards the cap. At the same time, the Islanders were expected to give Barzal a large pay raise. Low cap space and expectedly high contracts are rarely a desirable combination.
Though, the Islanders’ cap troubles would find themselves fixed with an unfavorable report.
It was announced on Nov. 25 that Johnny Boychuk’s career would be cut short due to an eye injury. This puts the defensemen on the Long-term Injury Reserve. On this list, a player’s salary will not contribute to the team’s cap hit. This opened up an extra six million dollars for the Islanders to spend on their remaining unsigned players such as Barzal, Matt Martin, Andy Greene, and others.
Barzal’s career is still a young one, being only 23-years-old with three full seasons of NHL hockey. With contract negotiations behind him, Barzal is poised for a great shortened season.
