Islanders Mathew Barzal seems willing to sign team friendly extension

Mathew Barzal hasn’t yet signed an extension with the New York Islanders, but expect it to be a team-friendly deal.

Yesterday defenseman Ryan Pulock was extended by two-years with a deal carrying a $5 million cap hit. That’s not a small hit, but it’s less than was expected as Pulock and the Islanders walked their way towards a scheduled arbitration hearing on November 6. That hearing will gladly no longer take place thanks to that two-year extension.

With Ryan Pulock under contract, that leaves Mathew Barzal as the only restricted free agent remaining for the Islanders to re-sign.

Yesterday, my college Matt O’Leary figured Mathew Barzal could sign a bridge deal carrying a $6 million cap hit. While we don’t know what Barzal will sign for, it seems that he will follow in Pulock’s footsteps and sign a deal that helps out the Islanders.

Keep the Band Together

According to Newsday’s Andrew Gross, Ryan Pulock and Mathew Barzal discussed what they would do in the offseason vis-a-vis their contract negotiations with the team. They both agreed they’d sign deals that would make sense for them while also keeping this team (one that was two wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals) together.

That’s excellent news on the Mathew Barzal contract negotiations front and for the team in general.

Mathew Barzal has been the Islanders leader in scoring since he went pro in the 2017-18 season. He’s a Calder Trophy winner and has scored 207 points in 234 games. Ranking him 32nd in scoring in the entire NHL since he made his debut.

The 16th overall selection at the 2015 draft may not yet be a superstar in the league, but he’s certainly on the cusp. And he only just turned 23-years-old this May.

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With very little cap room, the Islanders needed to get Barzal and Pulock signed to good deals. Based on what Ryan Pulock has indicated it looks like the team will be able to do so.