Islanders Can’t Be Fooled by Late-Season Run & Playoff Appearance

So general manager and president Lou Lamoriello can state publicly that he “believes” in the core group all he wants, but if that same mindset is shared privately, then the 81-year-old lives in an alternate reality. The results speak for themselves over the past few years. The Islanders aren’t in business to just make the playoffs. It’s time to face reality and not be just satisfied with being mediocre. The goal is to build a championship-level roster – and the Islanders are nowhere close to that.

So, can the Islanders fix this mess and what can they do about it? First off, it’s important to note that a rebuild isn’t and shouldn’t be on the table at this time. Currently, six players have at least six years left on their contracts, which includes their best players. Nearly a dozen have no-trade clauses.

That’s not a team in a position to go through a full tear-down. But what they can do is retool, and the idea is to get rid of the moveable assets and replace them with needs. It’s not just about acquiring prospects and draft picks, although that’s certainly something the Islanders can use.

Bye, Bye Identity

The first move on the to-do list is simple and that’s saying goodbye to Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck, who helped make the so-called “Identity Line.” It was a good run but neither helped the Islanders’ last-ranked penalty kill in 2023-24. But who should they replace them with? Think of some lesser-known names that will command less money in free agency like Warren Foegele, Sam Lafferty, and Christian Fischer.

Trades and Signings

Getting rid of Martin and Clutterbuck is only the start. They need to trade some of the movable contracts on the books. The easiest one should be Brock Nelson, who has just one season left at a $6 million cap hit along with a 16-team no-trade list, according to CapFriendly. Centers are valuable and it’s a bonus that he can play in the top six. While the Minnesota native is coming off a 69-point season and a career year the season before, it’s time to move on. Nelson just isn’t an elite player and will be 33 for 2024-25. Lamoriello needs to actively shop him and take the best offer. Maybe that’s a first-round pick, a top prospect, and another high pick.

Lamoriello should also be looking to deal at least one of Casey Cizikas or Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Both are expensive bottom-six players, carrying $2.5 million and $5 million cap hits, respectively. But centers have value and perhaps the Islanders can get a deal done with retaining some salary if there’s enough interest. At 50 percent, that could save the team $1.25 million on Cizikas and $2.5 million on Pageau. Assuming, they find a suitor for Nelson too, that could be a total of $9.75 million in cap relief.

The Islanders should use the space to acquire a scoring winger. Preferably somebody who can help fix the powerplay. Maybe that’s via trade and Pavel Buchnevich or Nikolaj Ehlers becomes available. If Lamoriello wants to get savvy, he can trade some of the assets he acquired in a potential Nelson deal and flip them for one of those players. Typically, scoring wingers are less valuable than top-six centers. For free agency, the Islanders need to monitor Steven Stamkos. He might be the best option because signing him won’t cost the Islanders any assets – only cap space. Plus, the sniper could finally make the Islanders’ powerplay a threat. They need a right-handed triggerman that can rip a one-timer from the left circle.

This offseason will be critical. Lamoriello can’t bring back the same core group of players and expect different results for the third season in a row. The damage has been done and now the Islanders cannot commit to a full rebuild because of it. So, no choice is left but to shed movable contracts and reload in the trade market or free agency.