One dream, one realistic, and one bargain player for the NY Islanders in free agency

Bargain Free Agent: Sam Lafferty, Vancouver Canucks 

Okay, so if Lou Lamoriello were looking for a more physical forward and one to sign for a bargain deal - expected cap hit of just $1.67 million per Alexander MacLean of Dobber Hockey - he may look no further than Sam Lafferty. He’s only entering his age-29 season, so he would make the Isles fourth line much younger should Lamoriello sign him and opt to let Cal Clutterbuck walk along with Matt Martin.  

Unlike Jack Roslovic, who can at least put up serviceable numbers on the lower lines, or lower lines when playing for a good hockey team, that wouldn’t be the case with Lafferty. He landed some epic body checks in 11 postseason games this past season with the Vancouver Canucks, but he was also shut out, having logged zero goals and zero assists. 

That said, he managed a single-season career-high in goals during his time in Vancouver, with 13 and his 24 points were the second-best of his career. But he also spent the season with one of the NHL’s premier scoring teams, so that helped bump up his numbers. 

While the dream free agent on this list would almost exclusively help out in the offensive zone, and the realistic option could create a serviceable balance between offense and defense, Lafferty is at his best when his team doesn’t have the puck. He can pitch in when in the offensive zone, but he was on the ice for just 32 goals allowed at even strength, and he also snagged a 91.9 on-ice save percentage. 

If Ilya Sorokin needed some help for the upcoming season, Lafferty would make for an excellent addition. No, he won’t do much to help the Isles improve their scoring, but Sorokin would be thanking Lamoriello if the Isles signed Lafferty. 

(Statistics powered by Hockey-Reference)