3 New York Islanders buyout candidates this summer

Pierre Engvall

When Lamoriello signed Engvall to a seven-year, $21 million deal, plenty of questions were raised regarding Engvall’s ability to live up to the deal. Thus far, those questions have only intensified.

The scrutiny behind Engvall’s performance has prompted calls to buy out the Swedish winger. At 28, he’s still a relatively young player. He could have a few more productive years ahead of him, perhaps with another club.

Anyhow, PuckPedia shows that buying out Engvall would cost the Isles 67% of his remaining $15 million, meaning $10 million. Like Mayfield, he’s got five years left on his deal, so that’s a 10-year cap hit. That means Engvall’s contract will be on the books until 2035 at a rate of $1 million per season against the cap.

The Isles would save $2 million per season, costing them $1 million five years from now.

Anthony Duclair

The New York Islanders had high hopes for Anthony Duclair. The thought was he could step into a legitimate top-six role with the club, bolstering the offense.

Despite a tough, injury-riddled year, there’s still a chance that Anthony Duclair can live up to expectations. Unfortunately, that seems somewhat murky at this point.

Per PuckPedia, Duclair has three more years on his contract, totaling $10.5 million. At 67% owed to him, that works out the $7 million. Duclair’s contract would remain on the books for six more years (three years x two), costing $1.17 million against the cap. That would mean a savings of $2.33 million for the next three seasons.

While the dreaded dead cap space would hamper the Islanders down the road, it wouldn’t be such a big deal considering how the cap will go up over the next three years. So, if the New York Islanders contemplate buying out players, this season would be one to do it.

If you’re curious about these calculations, head over to PuckPedia and try out the buyout calculator for yourself. It’s an interesting exercise into the what-ifs of the NHL salary cap.