Hindsight is 20/20; at least, that’s what they say. When reflecting on the New York Islanders’ 2022-23 season, Lou Lamoriello made two mid-season transactions; however, with their current situation, it appears they may have missed the mark by opting not to trade two of their current unrestricted free agents (UFAs). Back in February, I wrote an article suggesting how they should move their backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov and defenceman Scott Mayfield to pick up valuable assets for not only the remainder of the season but also for the future as well. Today I look at how these potential moves could’ve left the organization in a better salary cap position as they enter the offseason.
Islanders Missed the Mark At the 2023 Trade Deadline
Lamoriello landed one of this past season’s most coveted trade targets in Bo Horvat. However, his offence hit a wall upon his arrival in Long Island as the former Vancouver Canucks captain was enjoying the best season of his career before the trade. It’s no surprise to see his offence slow down, as his goalscoring rate through the first half of the campaign was unrealistic to maintain while looking at his career numbers. With that being said, he will still be a pivotal player for the Islanders’ future, as his leadership and strong two-way play will be leaned upon heavily in the coming years.
In Lamoriello’s other transaction, he acquired depth forward Pierre Engvall from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was a pending UFA, seen as a rental player who could help the Islanders make a push for the playoffs. As he finished the season with the Islanders, he provided the club with precisely what they were looking for and has even earned strong consideration to be re-signed this summer.
When looking at the two moves, by no means did Lamoriello miss the mark in either acquisition; on the flip side, the moves that he didn’t make may come back to bite the organization going forward. Varlamov carried a modified no-trade clause in his contract in which he had a 16-team no-trade list. This may have contributed to Lamoriello being unable to move the veteran netminder. Either way, he remained an Islander and would only suit up for three games following the trade deadline, all of which were losses. So with 15 teams available to trade him to in exchange for possible assets, the Islanders now may lose him for nothing as a free agent.
Mayfield appears to also be on the outside looking in regarding the Islanders’ plans for the summer as he will likely command more salary than the team will be able to part with for a bottom-pairing defenceman. The question also has to be asked why he wasn’t moved, as the market for right defencemen is always in high demand.
How Potential Moves Could’ve Impacted Islanders’ Current Situation
In my previously mentioned article discussing how the Islanders should move Varlamov, I listed the Los Angeles Kings as a potential landing spot. Of course, now, looking back, the Kings did go ahead and shake up their goaltending by acquiring Joonas Korpisalo from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The article also mentioned Sean Walker as a potential return in a hypothetical trade sending Varlamov to the Kings. As it turns out, just last week, he was included as part of a three-team trade and now finds himself on the Philadelphia Flyers roster.
So how could acquiring Walker benefit the Islanders, you ask? The 28-year-old right defenceman remains under contract for the upcoming season at a reasonable cap hit of $2.65 million. By acquiring Walker, Mayfield would’ve been deemed expendable without leaving a void on the Islanders’ blue line.
Related: Islanders’ Lamoriello Intends to Re-Sign Engvall, But At What Cost?
Now when looking at the potential suitors for Mayfield at the deadline, many teams may have been interested. As far as the possible return, a similar comparison would be the trade between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks that saw the Ducks receive Brock McGinn and a third-round draft pick in exchange for defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. Remember that this is just an example, as McGinn is a career bottom-six forward with a cap hit of $2.75 million for two more seasons. The Islanders could’ve potentially swapped Mayfield strictly for a draft pick or sweetened the deal to land a more significant offensive player for the remainder of the season.
Lamoriello Remains Persistent to Bring Back UFAs
Lamoriello recently spoke to the media and revealed his priorities are to try and sign each of the Islanders UFAs during the offseason. That’s not to mention that pending restricted free agent (RFA) Oliver Wahlstrom will also need to negotiate a new contract this summer. The Islanders will be hard-pressed to sign Zach Parise and Engvall, along with Mayfield, Varlamov, and Wahlstrom, with the current projected cap space sitting at $5,336,667, according to CapFriendly.
One can only imagine the Islanders’ current situation could’ve been slightly less complicated had they pulled a few more strings and made a couple more trade deadline transactions this season. Hindsight is 20/20. It will be interesting to see how the offseason unfolds as we draw closer to the NHL Entry Draft and the opening of free agency.