New York Islanders Shock With Parenteau on Waivers

The New York Islanders decided to give throw everyone for a loop by waiving a player they just signed in free agency not three months ago.

The New York Islanders formally announced that PA Parenteau will be placed on waivers today. It doesn’t mean he’s gone, it just means the Islanders don’t want/need him on the active roster.

Just think about that for a second. PA Parenteau was signed in free agency for a cap-friendly $1.25 million. It was also widely believed that he was going to slot alongside former teammate John Tavares on the top line.

Most of here at Eyes on Isles thought Parenteau would slide into that top line right-wing position.

Must Read: Isles Roundtable - Top Two Forward Lines

But now the Islanders don’t want or even need him on the roster at all. So what happened in that two to three month window?

Youth Movement

It no secret that the Islanders have some exciting talent in the system. Think of Mathew Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier, and Ryan Pulock. These kids are ready for the prime-time, but there are only so many spots available.

So how do you get these young kids on the roster? Obviously, some players that the team had already penciled in need to go.

So that’s the motivation. The Islanders want all three to start the year on the roster, now it’s deciding who needs to go.

It’s a Cap World

PA’s deal, at the time, was fantastic. Remember, he was just coming off a 40 point season with the worst team in the league. Getting similar production from him at that cost was outstand business.

We’re talking Ondrej Palat levels of production, and Palat is in the final year of three-year $10 million deal.

But at $1.25 million the Islanders are looking at $300k in cap savings. If the plan is to keep Barzal and Beauvillier on the roster they need to make room, not only on the active roster but on the cap. Bringing both of them up equals another $1.788 million against the cap.

At the time of writing, and with Parenteau still on the active roster, the Isles find themselves with $783,000 in cap space. Adding Parenteau’s cap saving of $300 thousand brings that total up to $1.083 million. Just $700 thousand shy of the total they need.

They still have to make a few more cuts which should increase that number to well above where they need to be in order to have both kids on the roster.

It’s a bad place, bad time kind of situation for PA. He didn’t seem to have a particularly terrible camp, but it seems that the Isles fancy the kids for than they do Parenteau. And with cap savings possible the Isles are leveraging it to get those first round picks in the lineup now.

So now the question is: who’s going to play on the top line with Pareanteau out of the mix?

Home/Editorials