The first day of free agency has never been kind to the NY Islanders

Happy Canada Day to all the NY Islanders fans north of the border, and Happy free agency day to all hockey fans!

After the slew of contracts given out yesterday, including Alexander Romanov's eight-year extension with an AAV of $6.25M, all the players hitting free agency today will be looking to get a payday of their own.

July 1 hasn't been a kind day to the NY Islanders

The Islanders continue to look for a top-six winger along with a right-handed defenseman after trading Noah Dobson, but the first day of free agency has never been kind to the Islanders.

Over the last 10 years, the Isles have made five new signings on the first day of free agency, with the only success coming from goaltenders.

In 2015, Thomas Greiss signed a two-year, $1.5M AAV deal to be the backup for Jaroslav Halak. He'd play five seasons on Long Island, becoming one of the league's top backups during that span, engraving himself as a fan favorite and a vital part of the organization.

In 2019, Semyon Varlamov signed a four-year contract worth $5M AAV. Varly was in the crease for both runs to the conference/semi-finals, and still has two years remaining on his current deal.

Other than netnminders, notable names are Anthony Duclair, Valterri Filppula, Jason Chimera, PA Parenteau, Andrew Ladd, and Tom Kuhnhackl. Not the most prominent names on the market aside from Ladd, who, in hindsight, would have been better off passing on.

Most of the big names set to hit the market today have already been re-signed, outside of Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser. With the term and dollar amount most of these players will be looking for, this may be the one year the Isles are better off walking away.