Islanders: Don’t expect them to use second buyout window

The New York Islanders will get a second buyout they could use to create more cap space. Will they use it?

By Ryan Pulock and Josh Ho-Sang filing for arbitration, the New York Islanders were going to get a second buyout window once both of those deals were completed. Whether they were settled through arbitration or not.

With Pulock and the Islanders agreeing to a two-year deal the other day the Isles get a 24-hour buyout window that opens today. Can we expect the Islanders to use that second window? And if so who could they buy out (if anyone)?

Second Window

This second buyout window doesn’t apply to everyone on the Islanders roster. It only applies to a player who carries a cap hit above $4 million according to Arthur Staple. That narrows who could be bought out by the Isles down to only a handful of players.

Here are all the players with a cap hit of $4 million or more and the amount of cap space that would be created if they were to be bought out :

That’s a lot of potential savings but just about every single one of those players will have a big role to play on the 2020-21 roster. Andrew Ladd and Johnny Boychuk are the only two who aren’t likely to have a key role on the team.

Both provide cap savings of $666,667 and $833,333 respectively. So why not buy them out if every dollar counts?

Because burying their contract in the AHL would create even more cap space. Teams can bury up to $1.075 million in the minors, meaning Ladd and Boychuk in the minors would create some additional $409,000 and $242,000 in cap space.

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If the Islanders use this second buyout window it would be for a total surprise move. Looking at who could be bought out and considering how the Islanders are likely to line up in 20-21, it’s unlikely they use this window.