The Islanders are going to have to make a lot of changes this offseason after losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Semifinals again.

With the expansion draft on the horizon and the Islanders up against the salary cap, some players will definitely not be returning for the team’s first year at UBS Arena. It’s disappointing, but it has to happen.

Offense

Anders Lee will likely be in the lineup when the 2021-22 season opens in October. However, that means his $7 million cap hit will be back on the books. That will make re-signing Kyle Palmieri and/or Travis Zajac extremely difficult if that’s what Lou Lamoriello wants to do.

Casey Cizikas is also an unrestricted free agent and will be hard to replace if the Islanders can’t re-sign him this offseason.

Also, restricted free agents Kieffer Bellows, Michael Dal Colle and Game 6 hero Anthony Beauvillier need new contracts.

The Islanders will have to find a way to clear some cap space to bring these players back. That means some players have to go.

One option is to move Leo Komarov, who makes $3 million next year. Anders Lee’s return will reduce his role back to a depth player, and another team could value his veteran presence. They can also convince a team to take a draft pick in order to swallow Cal Clutterbuck’s $3.5 million cap hit next year.

Perhaps the team’s most valuable trading chip is Josh Bailey. He makes $5 million each of the next three seasons, great value for a second-liner who can play anywhere in a team’s lineup. However, he’s on the wrong side of 30 and struggled to score at certain points this season. It would be an extremely tough pill to swallow, but perhaps necessary to bring back other pieces.

The least painful solution for the Isles’ roster is to convince a team (likely Seattle) to take on Andrew Ladd’s contract. That will give the Islanders $5.5 million to work with. But bringing back everyone will likely require the Islanders to subtract one of the aforementioned forwards too.

Defense

Adam Pelech needs a new contract. The superstar defenseman had a $1.6 million salary last season and is a restricted free agent. Not re-signing him would be disastrous for the team.

Additionally, Andy Greene is 38 years old, and he hasn’t announced his plans for the future yet. The Islanders owe him $2 million in performance bonuses that will count against next year’s cap, regardless of whether or not he plays.

The Islanders can potentially re-sign Braydon Coburn to a cheap, Greene-like, contract to fill a hole Greene potentially leaves. They also have Thomas Hickey signed for another year, but he could also be expansion draft or trade bait since he proved that he can still play in the NHL this year. He is signed for one more season at $2.5 million.

The biggest question, however, is Nick Leddy. The offensively-minded defenseman is entering the final year of his contract, and had his best offensive season since Barry Trotz became head coach. That makes him terrific trade bait and can allow the Isles to give Sebastian Aho a good look next season.

The Islanders’ defense is its biggest strength, and management needs to do everything it can to make it the best it can be this offseason.

Goaltending

The Isles’ goaltending is perhaps their most consistent position, and hopefully, it stays that way. However, they need to re-sign Ilya Sorokin.

The Islanders could give him a 2/3-year bridge deal so they can keep Semyon Varlamov too. Both goalies were excellent in the playoffs, and having a tandem of that caliber is something the team shouldn’t take for granted.

It will be an offseason of extreme change for the Islanders. Keep your heads up and know that the best of Isles’ hockey is yet to come next year at UBS Arena.

Ben Baruch

Born and raised on Long Island. Isles fan since 2009. Studying journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.