The New York Islanders will be in a cap crunch this offseason, which is, at least in part, a result of bad contracts that they've accumulated over a number of years. Below, I've ranked what I think are worst contracts of current Islanders' players.
7. Casey Cizikas: $3.35M AAV, expires in 2021
Let me start off by saying that I like Casey Cizikas. He’s a great fit on New York’s fourth line and is good enough to move up the lineup when needed. But paying nearly $3.5 million per season for a fourth-line center just isn’t really something that can happen in the salary cap era. That said, at least unlike most of the other players on this list, Cizikas is still an effective player– just one who’s being paid more than he should be.
6. Matt Martin: $2.5M AAV, expires this summer
The good news about Martin’s contract is that it’s expiring this summer, so the Islanders don’t really have to worry about it for next year. That said, like Cizikas’ contract, that money just can’t really be given out to a fourth-line forward and unlike Cizikas, Martin didn't really make much of an impact for New York this season.
5. Leo Komarov: $3M AAV, expires in 2022
I mean, we all knew this one wasn’t a great signing the minute we saw it. If that price were for a deal that was one or even two years, then sure, it’s alright. But four years at $3M per year for a 31-year-old coming off a 19-point season? Yeah, it was never going to go well. Komarov is no longer effective in the top-nine and he’s one of four (yes, four) fourth-line forwards on this list.
4. Thomas Hickey: $2.5M AAV, expires in 2022
Even if it may be less expensive than Komarov’s contract, this one is worse because while at least Komarov can be somewhat effective in a limited role, Hickey isn’t good enough to win a spot in the Islanders' lineup at this point. At 31 years old and with another two years remaining on his contract, the money on this deal is basically just dead cap space for the Islanders.
3. Cal Clutterbuck: $3.5M AAV, expires in 2022
At best, Clutterbuck is a solid fourth-line forward. But he’s now 32 years old and with his injury trouble, he may have a hard time getting back to where he was at. There really seems to be a pattern here of aging fourth-line forwards on expensive contracts with too much term. Clutterbuck’s contract is both expensive enough and long enough to justify his ranking here.
2. Johnny Boychuk: $6M, expires in 2022
I actually like Boychuk quite a bit as a third-pairing defenseman. That said, his AAV is probably about three times higher than it should be. His $6M AAV is an anchor on New York’s payroll, even if Boychuk is still able to contribute and with two years remaining on his deal, the Islanders will either need to include assets in a trade to move his contract or move other contracts to compensate for his AAV.
1. Andrew Ladd: $5.5M, expires in 2023
I don’t think there will be much debate on this one. Ladd has the most term remaining of any of New York’s bad contracts and it’s certainly not a cheap deal either. Ladd is no longer capable of being effective in the NHL but still has three years remaining on his deal. If a compliance buyout comes, it's safe to assume that Ladd will be the recipient of it.
Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted this weekend):
Who do you think has the worst contract on the Islanders' payroll?
New York Islanders Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»