"During Lou Lamoriello's tenure with the NY Islanders, a portion of the contracts the former GM gave out involved max-term or close to it. The AAV given out was fair, but as the salary cap continues to rise, many of these contracts can be looked at as steals in their later years. The salaries given out this off-season have been substantially inflated. Today, Jake Walman signed a seven-year, $7M AAV contract with the Edmonton Oilers."
"Adam Pelech, who signed an 8-year extension in 2021, is in the fifth year of his deal with a $5.75M AAV. His defensive partner for most of their tenure on Long Island, Ryan Pulock, signed a new contract the same summer (kicking in for 2022-23), and is now in year four of an 8-year deal with a $6.15M AAV. With the Islanders seemingly building for the future, two middle-pairing defensemen with reasonable contracts could become highly coveted."
Lou Lamoriello issued several long-term or near max-term contracts while serving as Islanders general manager. The average annual values were reasonable at signing, but rising salary caps have made many of those deals team-friendly in later years. Recent free-agent signings show inflated salaries, exemplified by Jake Walman's seven-year, $7M AAV deal with Edmonton. Adam Pelech (8 years, $5.75M AAV) and Ryan Pulock (8 years, $6.15M AAV) remain under middle-pairing contracts in their mid-terms. A deep defensive prospect pool — Kashawn Aitcheson, Isaiah George, Matthew Schaefer — enables potential roster changes and cap flexibility to pursue top free agents, provided trades offer the right return and timing.
Read at Eyes On Isles
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