NY Islanders near bottom in NHL contract efficiency, no ‘A’ ratings on roster

The New York Islanders have found themselves in an unflattering spotlight this week, as their roster was ranked 29th out of 32 NHL teams in The Athletic’s annual contract efficiency rankings — a steep drop from the 23rd spot they held entering last season.

The ratings are based on comparing a player’s Net Rating and the expected salary that comes with it to the player’s current contract. By that measure, the Islanders are one of just four teams without a single “A” rating on their books.

Mathew Barzal’s six-year, $9.2 million AAV deal led the way with a B+, justified by his elite playmaking and versatility, though it still fell short of the “A” tier reserved for the league’s best value contracts. The other B+ grades went to more modest deals: Maxim Tsyplakov’s recent two-year agreement and Tony DeAngelo’s one-year contract.

While goaltending is considered the team’s greatest strength, the highest-rated deal in the crease wasn’t Ilya Sorokin’s eight-year, $66 million mega-contract (graded a C) or Semyon Varlamov’s backup deal (also a C), but rather the one-year “insurance policy” David Rittich signed this summer — which came in as a C+, the top goaltending value on the roster.

On the other end of the spectrum, the worst ratings unsurprisingly went to Pierre Engvall and Scott Mayfield, both of whom signed infamous seven-year extensions two summers ago under then-GM Lou Lamoriello. Their underwhelming performance relative to term and cap hit continues to weigh down the Islanders’ flexibility.

Since taking over in May, GM Mathieu Darche has been careful to avoid similar long-term commitments, opting for shorter, more manageable deals this offseason. Still, the 29th-place efficiency ranking underscores the challenge ahead: overcoming the drag of past contracts while finding ways to maximize value in a tight cap environment.