Most league-wide analysts have the New York Islanders’ cap sheet ranked among the worst in the league. Long-term deals to Kyle Palmieri and Casey Cizikas look like poor value after they both had tough seasons offensively. That being said, some outstanding value contracts on the Islanders still provide them with the depth that makes them a playoff contender.
Adam Pelech / Ryan Pulock
We are going to count these contracts as one because Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock operate as a defensive unit that provides phenomenal value for the Islanders. When both players are healthy, this duo is one of the best defensive pairs in the league for an annual price of $11.9 million. Last summer, some of the best defensemen in the league signed massive contracts including Adam Fox, Charlie McAvoy, Cale Makar, and Darnell Nurse. Each of those contracts came in over $9 million annually. When you add those players’ salaries with their defensive partners, it is higher than the $11.9 million dedicated to the Islanders’ top pair.
Both of these players are signed through their entire primes, with Pelech’s contract expiring after 2029 and Pulock after 2030. After losing Devon Toews, it was important for the front office to retain the two homegrown defensemen and they took care of that business last summer. While Barry Trotz is not the coach anymore, Lane Lambert has been his assistant for years and will likely run a similar system to what Trotz did. That will put a lot of pressure on the back end and these two have shown they are up to the challenge over the past four seasons.
Brock Nelson
Brock Nelson signed his extension with the team in the summer of 2019. A lot of contracts signed then, including Anders Lee’s, have not aged well due to the flat cap being implemented. However, Nelson’s has just become better value over the years. Despite an early-season injury, he put up a career year in 2021-22 with 37 goals in 72 games. He was particularly valuable on the power play with 11 goals, which was also a career-high.
According to The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn, Nelson performed to a market valuation of $8.9 million in the 2021-22 season despite earning $6 million (from ‘NHL Player Cards: New York Islanders’, The Athletic, 4/19/22). This has provided exceptional value for the Islanders that has allowed them to keep important depth pieces such as Cal Clutterbuck and Zach Parise. While he is not a guarantee to score 35 goals again, he provides the offensive spark that can…
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