The New York Islanders avoided arbitration, always a messy scenario, with defenseman Ryan Pulock, signing the restricted free agent to a two-year, $5 million AAV contract. The deal serves many purposes for both team and player.
For the team, president and general manager Lou Lamoriello now knows what he must do to get star center Mathew Barzal signed. The Islanders currently have around $3.9 million in available cap space, and are going to have to utilize LTIR or the AHL option should they not move one or two hefty contracts out the door for draft picks. They also avoid what could have been a messy arbitration hearing, always a good thing.
For the player, Pulock gets a nice raise for the next two years and pushes his unrestricted free agency to a time when the Coronavirus-restricted salary cap should be booming. He sets himself up, assuming he continues on his ascension, for a hefty payday in 2022.
"I'm really happy that we could get it done," Pulock said on a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday. "I'm really excited to be back. This team has come a long way and the future is bright."
With the league still negotiating when the new season will begin – January 1 is still the target, even if that is appearing a little unrealistic at present – Pulock is trying his best to prepare for whatever and whenever comes.
"It's different," Pulock said. "It's almost like we're back at the end of the season before playoffs in that uncertainty of when it might start and what it's going to look like. For myself, right now I'm just preparing for that early January date. If that gets delayed, I'll continue training.”
For Barzal, the word on the street is his contract will appear in the $7 million AAV range on a short-term deal. Lamoriello could go over the cap by 10 percent, or $8 million, during the off-season, but when the puck finally does drop, that must be rectified. So, one way or the other, things have to happen to fit their most important offensive player into the mix.
Buyouts won’t help, even with a second window now open. It’s also important to note Matt Martin and Andy Greene still need contracts, and sources have said both have ‘gentlemen's agreements’ in place. Leo Komarov, Thomas Hickey, and Andrew Ladd are three players likely to be buried in the AHL, but I’m not sure that is the route you want to take with Johnny Boychuk, who I am fairly certain would rather be traded to a team where he can contribute on the ice at the NHL level. Right now, the Devils are the only team I keep coming up with as a logical match on that front, given that Boychuk and his family would prefer to stay in the area.
This is where Lamoriello will be tested. It’s clear there is no easy out here, and his true skills as a general manager will be on display. Many feel that with a weak farm system, it’s make or break time for an organization that has taken many steps forward over the past few seasons. For them to take a substantial step back would be devastating, and offset all the positive news of solid, proud ownership and a sparkling new arena.
Only one thing seems certain: as early as next season, we should finally find out what we have in Oliver Wahlstrom or Keiffer Bellows. The two are expected to play much larger roles in a team starving for an offensive punch and no money to go out and get it.
Follow Andy Graziano on Twitter: @AndyGraz_WFAN
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