New York Islanders Podcast: How to Deal With Large Contracts

The New York Islanders have a few big deals on the books, how could they move them in the event they wanted to clear some space?

There are three large contracts on the New York Islanders cap that they might need to move at some point. Andrew Ladd carries a $5.5 million cap hit for the next four years. Johnny Boychuk has a $6 million cap hit and Nick Leddy carries a $5.5 million cap hit over the next three years.

That’s a ton of money on the books for assets that aren’t worth the money now (or ever), have declined significantly, or they no longer fit a need on the roster.

So what, and when, can the New York Islanders move any of these deals? Matt and I spend half an hour discussing how the Islanders can move these seemingly unmovable contracts. Get this exclusive Patreon podcast here.

Sign up for our Patreon podcasts to get access to every podcast in our New York Islanders Summer Slam series. You’ll get three Summer Slams a week, a mailbag show, and a newsletter!

We look at buyout options, trade options, and possible destinations for all three.

With $8.65 million in cap space at the moment, the New York Islanders don’t need to move either of the deals today but in the years to come they certainly will.

The next generation of defenders and forwards are knocking on the door of the NHL. The Islanders will need to make room for players like Noah Dobson, Oliver Wahlstrom, Sebastian Aho, Kieffer Bellows, and Bode Wilde in the next few years.

That puts extra pressure on the organization to make space on the roster and guys carrying big cap hits that don’t have a place on the team are prime candidates for a move.

Want your voice heard? Join the Eyes On Isles team!

Write for us!