Who's the next member of the NY Islanders to receive a big payday?

With the salary cap increasing significantly over the last two seasons, NHL salaries are exploding in size. Last week, Karill Kaprizov signed the biggest contract in league history with a $17M AAV over eight years. Earlier today, it appeared as if Connor McDavid was about to reset the market. In a surprise move, he extended his deal with the Edmonton Oilers for only two years, with an identical $12.5 cap hit as his previous deal.

Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat are the two highest-earning NY Islanders, making $9.1M and $8.5, respectively. So who is in line to receive the next big payday?

Who's next to be paid?

The core of the organization is locked long-term, including Ilya Sorokin and Alexander Romanov to the mix alongside Barzal and Horvat. Outside of those four, anybody re-signed will likely come to terms with a middle-of-the-pack deal.

So that potentially means the next Islander to receive a massive payday has not even played a professional game yet.

Matthew Schaefer was the first overall pick in this summer's draft, and the organization has high hopes for the 18-year-old. Projected to become a top-pairing defenseman and potential Norris Trophy winner, Schaefer could become the highest-paid player in Islanders history for the 2028-29 season after the expiration of his ELC.

Last week, Luke Hughes signed a seven-year extension with a $9M AAV with the NJ Devils after only 155 games. Whether or not Schaefer matches Hughes' production in three years, the salary cap will have risen by a significant amount, meaning it's not out of the realm of possibility that Schaefer signs an eight-year deal, North of $10M a year.

Schaefer still has a long way to go (including playing in an actual game), but he could very well be the next Islander to cash in big.