New York Islanders general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello typically waits the entire offseason until he makes his signings. This year, he wasted no time. On the first day of free agency, he re-signed Pierre Engvall to a seven-year deal, Scott Mayfield to a seven-year deal, Semyon Varlamov to a four-year deal, and gave Ilya Sorokin an eight-year extension.
Related: 2023 NHL Free Agency Tracker
The moves reflected Lamoriello’s offseason priority of keeping the roster that reached the playoffs last year in place. The question is what these moves mean for the Islanders. Additionally, is Lamoriello finished, or is there more in store for the veteran GM?
Lamoriello Bets on Engvall As An Integral Forward Long Term
Since Engvall was acquired at the 2023 Trade Deadline, he proved to be a key part of the offense. He scored five goals and four assists in only 18 regular season games and more importantly, formed a strong connection with Kyle Palmieri as the two forwards connected for multiple goals throughout the year. Along with a quick shot and scoring instincts, he proved he can be a versatile forward, specifically, he can play both the center and wing positions, giving the Islanders lineup flexibility.
The contract given out by Lamoriello reflects confidence in Engvall’s ability to play at a high level. He’ll be under contract for the next seven years and the hope is that his production doesn’t drop off. He’s 27 years old and in his prime making the contract look worthwhile at the moment, but this deal was made on the backs of a small sample size as he’s only played a few games with the team. He stepped up in a contract year, but it’s hard to say if he’ll continue to play at a high level in a few years, especially if he isn’t playing alongside Palmieri toward the end of his contract. That said, the contract is team friendly at $3 million per year, giving the Islanders more cap space and the ability to move out of it easily if needed.
Engvall is locked up for the long term, but he isn’t a star player that Lamoriello can build a Cup contender around. Instead, this move was made with depth in mind. He is looking to have a forward unit with multiple potent lines for years to come, making the Engvall deal a risk but one that is worthwhile to maintain a strong forward unit.
Lamoriello Takes Risk in Mayfield Deal
This contract is the most concerning of the ones that Lamoriello gave out. A two-year deal? Absolutely. A contract in the three to five-year range? Questionable, but not too crazy. A seven-year deal to a 30-year-old defenseman who doesn’t play on the top pair? That’s a deal that has the potential to age poorly. To be fair, Scott Mayfield’s one of the team’s best defensemen with 19.9 defensive point shares in his career and 100 or more blocked shots in each of the past five seasons. The question is if he’ll continue to play well at the end of this seven-year deal, something that seems unlikely, to put it lightly.
He’s the oldest defenseman on the Islanders and inevitably will decline in a few years, despite having a skill set that ages well. To make matters worse, Mayfield isn’t a two-way player, scoring only 25 goals and 86 assists in his nine-year career. But what makes this deal a true headscratcher is that the Islanders have young defensemen ready to step up and take on the role that he played.
Noah Dobson has become the best two-way defenseman on the Islanders while Alexander Romanov, who was acquired in the 2022 offseason, established himself as the hard-hitting player on the unit last year. Samuel Bolduc, who signed a two-year deal earlier this offseason, showed flashes last year and Robin Salo has proven he can play at the NHL level. Moreover, two of the team’s top draft selections in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft were defensemen who are projected to join the roster in a few years.
The bottom line is that this is a deal that could put the Islanders in a tough situation in a few years. Lamoriello didn’t need to re-sign Mayfield, and not only did he bring him back but he did so on a seven-year deal. It’s a move that can turn the Islanders into an aging team tied down by multiple contracts, which can both keep them out of the playoffs and prevent them from rebuilding at any point as well.
Varlamov Round Out Goaltending Unit For Now
There’s no question that the Islanders wanted to bring Varlamov back. Even with all the concerns, specifically age, and decline, he’s playing at a high level and helps give the team arguably the best goaltending duo in the NHL. Varlamov and Sorokin have formed a special connection in recent years and now, they’ll remain teammates for the next four years.
This four-year deal particularly gives the Islanders more time to find a long-term backup for Sorokin. They don’t have one ready to take the next step in the prospect pool, making Varlamov a viable option for the next few years. He won’t be in the net at 39 when his contract expires, but for at least the next two years he can and will be a reliable backup for Sorokin, who starts the majority of the games anyway.
Sorokin Signs Eight-Year Extension
The biggest move of the offseason was extending Sorokin for eight more years. He finished the year second in Vezina Trophy voting, with Linus Ullmark winning it, and established himself as one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL. By all means necessary, the Islanders were going to lock up Sorokin this offseason and make sure he didn’t test the market after the 2023-24 season.
The Islanders spent big to keep him on the roster with an $8.2 million average annual value (AAV) contract. The price is lower than Sergei Bobrovsky’s $10 million AAV and Andrei Vasilevskiy’s $9.5 million AAV, but it’s still top of the market value that Sorokin rightfully earned. This extension will force Lamoriello to move on from some veteran players next offseason to keep the team under the salary cap. Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin, and even All-Star Brock Nelson could all be off the roster by the start of the 2024-25 season as a result.
Sorokin is a vital part of the Islanders’ success and arguably the most valuable player on the team. He carried them to the playoffs last year with a .924 save percentage and a 2.34 goals-against average (GAA) on 1,838 shots with 14.1 goals saved above average (GSAA) and he keeps the team competitive by starting on a nightly basis. Moreover, he’s a building block that Lamoriello can form a contender around.
With Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, and Sorokin under contract for the next six years, the Islanders have locked up their star players. The next task for Lamoriello is to add the right players to complement those stars.
What’s Next For Lamoriello
It would be no surprise if this is all for Lamoriello and the Islanders. He came into the offseason hoping to re-sign the unrestricted free agents (UFAs) and he did just that. However, there is an urge to improve and make one move that can put this team over the top. In Lamoriello’s recent media availability, he stressed the desire to make a hockey trade now that the free agents are re-signed.
It’s possible that Lamoriello looks to acquire Alex DeBrincat in a trade with the Ottawa Senators. It will be a tough move to pull off since the Senators will have a high asking price and the Islanders will have to give him a big contract after the trade is made. However, the move would add a star 25-year-old scorer to the top six.
Likewise, the Islanders will keep an eye out for William Nylander. The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to contend and won’t trade him unless there’s an overwhelming offer on the table, but he’s the ideal player for Lamoriello to pursue. Nylander could play the wing in the top six and put the offense over the top with his ability to both find the back of the net and create scoring chances with his playmaking.
Lamoriello also has to find out whether Oliver Wahlstrom and Zach Parise will be a part of the forward unit next season. Wahlstrom is a restricted free agent (RFA) who the Islanders ideally sign to a two or three-year deal, but at 22 years old he is an intriguing player for other teams to acquire in a blockbuster trade. Parise meanwhile has been a staple of the forward unit in the past two seasons and is a valuable part of the offense, but is turning 39 this summer, so it’s possible he’ll want to retire.
The Islanders were busy to start free agency and it’s easy to think that this means Lamoriello is done for the summer. However, this offseason has been different as he’s been more active than usual. He signed Hudson Fasching to a two-year deal, extended Bolduc, and gave Matthew Maggio an entry-level contract, all of which were done in the early phases of the offseason. During the draft, he traded Josh Bailey to the Chicago Blackhawks to help open up cap space. He typically is patient with his moves so it will be interesting to see what happens next.