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Every article, I try to include a poll question for readers to vote on, then review the results from the week’s polls every weekend. I’m late on this, but here are last week’s poll results and my thoughts on how they turned out.
QUESTION: Who do you think is New York’s second-best forward:
(Votes: 207)
Nelson: 43%
Lee: 29%
Eberle: 15%
Someone else: 10%
Bailey: 4%
Like 43 per cent of voters said, to me, it has to be Nelson. He’s not flashy very often but he’s so good at the little things like creating turnovers in the offensive zone and controlling the puck, while also being quite strong in his own end. He’s been able to up his production and he’s turned into a really solid second-line center for the Islanders.
QUESTION: What is your prediction for Mathew Barzal’s AAV on a seven or eight-year deal?
(Votes: 320)
Between $8M and $8.5M: 30%
Between $8.5M and $9M: 27%
Above $9M: 25%
Between $7.5M and $8M: 13%
Below $7.5M: 5%
As I broke down in my article, I have Barzal getting between $8M and $8.5M on a seven or eight-year deal. Initially, I thought it would be higher but after checking the comparables, it seems like that’s a pretty consistent range that was projected for him. The Islanders will have a hard time navigating their cap situation, however, so hopefully it doesn’t mean having to sign him to a shorter deal with a lower AAV.
QUESTION: How long do you think Ryan Pulock’s contract extension will be?
(Votes: 83)
5 or 6 years: 53%
7 or 8 years: 30%
3 or 4 years: 14%
1 or 2 years: 2%
I think like Barzal, this may come down to how much cap space the Islanders are able to clear for next season. Ideally, I think they’d want to extend both Barzal and Pulock to maximum-term contracts but it’s not overly likely that they’ll have the funds available to do that. He’s young enough that the Islanders could extend him for seven or eight years without the risk of decline and to me, hopefully they go for the longest term possible.
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OTHER ISLANDERS ARTICLES FROM MAY
Reviewing this week's polls (May 2): Islanders Edition
Islanders should re-sign Derick Brassard if the price is right
Ranking the Islanders' worst contracts
Setting expectations for Pageau’s offensive production next season
Reviewing this week's polls (May 9): Islanders Edition
Who is the second-best forward on the Islanders?
Predicting Mathew Barzal's contract
Predicting Ryan Pulock's contract 
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