New York Islanders Clutterbuck Hot Take

The New York Islanders decided that today would be a good day to sign a bottom six, checking line forward to a $3.5 million per year contract, and I hate it.

I don’t think it is the worst contract that Garth Snow has handed out in his tenure as New York Islanders GM, but it certainly isn’t the best. If you look at almost any team in the league, their bottom six forwards are not making this kind of money and there’s a good reason for that.

You don’t throw money at someone whose principle responsibilities could be performed by a highly motivated human battering ram.

You don’t throw money at someone whose principle responsibilities could be performed by a highly motivated troglodyte. Sorry Cal, I’m just not big on checking fourth liners.

More from Analysis

You may say that Cal Clutterbuck has a better than average shot and you wouldn’t be wrong. However, how well is he really using that shot if he’s racking up a whopping third of a point per game (generously) for his career?

You may also say that he has relatively good possession stats, but I would prefer this money go toward signing or trading for an actual top six forward to put alongside our lonely superstar center.

I can only see two reasons for this signing. One, he’s a good friend of John Tavares so it could be Snow attempting to keep Clutterbuck in the hope that the captain will stay when the time comes. Two, Clutterbuck is Jack Capuano’s kind of player.

Next: Isles Blue Line Depth Now and In the Future

He’s not necessarily the player of the future or even a player that our new Russian computer program will be enamored with, but I would be willing to bet Capuano would go with a lineup of eighteen Clutterbuck clones if he could.