New York Islanders: Casey Cizikas’ 2018-2019 Career Year

Casey Cizikas is having a career year for the New York Islanders in 2018-2019. His contract is finally becoming a positive rather than a negative.

Right now in his eighth year in the league, it’s fair to say that Casey Cizikas is playing the best hockey of his life. The New York Islanders fourth line center is producing like never before in the 2018-2019 season.

The last couple of years has been particularly tough for Cizikas who has missed significant time with injury. Zeeker played just 59 games in 2016-2017 and 64 last season.

The unfortunate part of the 2016-2017 season was that Cizikas was on pace for 35 points if he played the full season after putting up 29 the year prior. As a fourth liner only playing 12 minutes a night that’s fantastic.

This year has been even better for the 27-year-old veteran. So far in 28 games, Cizikas has 13 points (9 goals, 4 assists). Granted, at best he’ll play 75 games this year, but he’s still on pace for record numbers for himself.

If Cizikas remains at this rate he will finish the season with 35 points (24 goals, 11 assists). I’d be surprised if Zeeker finished with over 20 years but then again, we all said the same thing about Josh Bailey two years ago.

Bailey, like Cizikas, broke out in his age 27 season producing 56 points that year. He followed it up with another career year last year. What if Cizikas is on the same track? Now, I’m not saying that he’ll be putting up 70 points but it’s not crazy to think he can be promoted to a third line center.

Val Filppula isn’t a long-term solution, as he’s 34 and on an expiring deal. If Cizikas gives you 35 points a season over the remaining three years of his deal I think that’d be a quality third line option.

At $3.35 million over that span the value there is pretty solid. In a cap league, it’s important to get the most out of your contracts. The last two years you’ve got 17 and 25 points for a $3.35 million forward.

With all due respect to Cizikas, who I like a lot, that’s not the greatest value. Trust me, the blame is going to Garth, not Cizikas there. But if you can get 30 or more points consistently you’re in much better shape with the ability to add a much cheaper fourth-line option.

Barry Trotz deserves a lot of credit for where the Islanders are right now. He couldn’t have done a better job with this roster and that includes milking Casey Cizikas for what he’s currently giving the team.

For the Islanders case, you have to hope Cizikas continues to give you this kind of play from now on and then you’re finally getting some solid value on a contract that looked to be too much for the first two years of the deal.