Lou Lamoriello finally did it. The New York Islanders general manager (GM) signed a player in free agency and for all intents and purposes, he made a splash in the offseason arguably for the first time in his tenure with the team. The big move was signing veteran forward Anthony Duclair to a four-year contract with a $3.5 million average annual value (AAV).
Related: New York Islanders Sign Anthony Duclair to 4-Year Deal
This was a much-needed move for the Islanders and Lamoriello. The team had a low ceiling and all the pressure was on him to change things up. They needed a player like Duclair and the long-time executive went out and signed him. Suddenly, the outlook for both the rest of the offseason and next season changes, especially if he is willing to be aggressive, something the fans least expect considering his history.
After Years of Silence, Lamoriello Finally Makes His Move
This move felt like a long time coming. Every offseason, the Islanders and the fanbase particularly, anticipate a big move to take a good team and put it over the top. Under Lamoriello, the summer is often quiet. Instead of bringing in players from outside the organization, he hands out extensions to the players on the roster and signals confidence in the group.
It seems odd that Duclair is the player that Lamoriello chooses to sign after years of passing on elite talent. However, he checks off a lot of boxes for Lamoriello. He’s a veteran with 39 playoff games under his belt who can make an impact in all three zones. Lastly, Duclair is a scorer and the GM loves to add scoring to the lineup. Better yet, despite being in the league for a while, he is only 28 years old and will be 29 when the season starts, so despite plenty of experience, he’s still in his prime, and the four-year deal won’t leave the team with a liability in a few seasons.
The feeling after the 2022 offseason was disappointing since both Johnny Gaudreau and Nazem Kadri were available and the Islanders came away empty-handed. The 2023 offseason felt confusing as Lamoriello not only re-signed key players on the roster but gave out long-term deals to multiple players with contracts that were sure to age poorly (case in point, Scott Mayfield’s deal). This summer is different. Lamoriello has given the fanbase something to look forward to with Duclair now on the roster.
What Duclair Brings to the Islanders
Duclair’s 10-year career, where…
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