Islanders 2022-23 Cap Space Takes a Small Hit

The New York Islanders are heading into the 2022-23 season having already taken a small hit to the amount of cap space they will have this summer. Isles GM Lou Lamoriello is walking into this summer with $12,010,037 to spend and a long list of tasks in order to improve the roster and help return the team to the playoffs and further, Stanley Cup contention. And although the cap space has already taken a small hit, it's not as bad as it sounds.

The Islanders ended the season with $2.04 million in cap space. A quick-witted move by Lamoriello early in the season sent Johnny Boychuk's contract to the Buffalo Sabres after they traded away Jack Eichel and needed to meet the cap floor. Trading Boychuk's contract allowed the Islanders to accrue cap space for the remainder of the season.

On Tuesday, the Islanders paid out performance bonuses to four players that met a milestone during the 2021-22 season. Zach Parise, Andy Greene, and Zdeno Chara all earned games played bonuses as all three players played a majority of the season, or in Parise's case, all 82 games (the only Islander skater to play every night). Parise and Chara earned a bonus of $750K each and Greene earned $250K.

Noah Dobson also earned a bonus for a different milestone. For reaching 13 goals, 38 assists, and 51 points, Dobson earned $537.5K. In total, the Islanders paid out $2,287,500 in bonuses. Simple math will tell you that because the Islanders had $2.04 million in cap space at season's end, just $246K will count against the 2022-23 cap as overage.

If you were worried about overages, don't be. The $246K is pennies in this situation and won't make or break any negotiations for Lamoriello this summer. In fact, because he was quick on his feet trading Boychuk's rights, he saved the Islanders from taking a bigger hit against their 2022-23 cap.