New York Islanders RFAs may delay re-signing amid uncertainty

The New York Islanders face a tough road ahead this offseason. The elephant in the room is the quest for a new GM. Plenty of names have begun hitting the rumor mill. Thus far, there hasn’t been one that’s seemed to dominate the conversation.

Then, there’s the issue of the NHL Draft Lottery. If nothing changes, the Isles will have the 10th overall pick. That’s not bad, but not too good. 10 is high enough to where a team can land a great player, but not low enough to where that player could be a franchise-altering face.

Be that as it may, there’s another situation staring at the Islander this offseason: Re-signing restricted free agents (RFAs).

As it stands, the New York Islanders’ RFA list is extensive: Maxim Tsyplakov, Marc Gatcomb, Simon Holmstrom, Noah Dobson, Alexander Romanov, Scott Perunovich, and Adam Boqvist qualify as RFAs this season.

That situation means the Islanders will need to figure out who they want to re-sign and who they are comfortable losing.

Right off the bat, I would say Romanov and Gatcomb must return. Romanov, in particular, emerged as the Isles’ best defenseman this season. Because of that, he could be the target of an offer sheet.

Gatcomb is a gritty, hardworking player who can rise through the ranks if given an opportunity.

As for Dobson, his lackluster season all but eliminated the likelihood of an offer sheet. But still, the Isles will want to keep him. Holmstrom, and his 20-goal campaign this season, make him worthy of at least a bridge deal.

The question is, however, that uncertainty in management could prompt the Isles’ RFAs to wait until the dust settles and the team names a new GM and head coach.

Why waiting until new GM and coach are named makes sense for New York Islanders’ RFAs

Let’s look at the situation from this perspective: Your company has just fired the top manager. Now, your line manager is also on the bubble. You don’t know if they will be back or not.

In the meantime, your contract is up. You have a sense that your company wants to keep you, but you don’t know who the boss will be, and you’re not certain if your line manager will be back, too.

If you need the job and don’t have many options, well, you’ll be glad the company doesn’t fire you.

But what if you had other options? What if other companies were willing to hire you? Now, compound the problem with the fact that you just can’t walk away. You have to wait for your company to officially release you and allow you to get another job elsewhere.

That doesn’t happen in the real world.

But that’s the reality of NHL RFAs. They could get plenty of job offers elsewhere, but they can’t walk up and leave.

That’s the uncertainty the Isles’ RFAs face. So, the most logical path forward seems to delay re-signing until it’s clear who will be in charge next season. While there’s value to negotiating with them now, things won’t get moving until there’s certainty.

If things don’t play out the way Dobson, Romanov, and company would like, don’t be surprised to hear rumblings of the Islanders looking to trade their rights.

It’s an extreme situation, but a plausible one of the team’s current crop of RFAs don’t like the direction things are headed, for example, a full-on rebuild.