General manager Garth Snow had to try and answer a particularly difficult question this summer: how much do you pay John Tavares?
Well, that too, but also, what moves can you make to improve a team that only missed the playoffs by a single point?
Well, let’s take a look at what the Islanders did this offseason in search of a return to the playoffs by 2018.
Off the Island:
Defenseman Travis Hamonic was shipped away from the team that drafted him out to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2018 first round pick, a 2018 second round pick and either a second round pick in 2019 or 2020. The Flames also acquired a fourth round pick in 2019 or 2020 as part of the deal.
Hamonic had 26 goals and 120 assists for 146 points and 452 penalty minutes in 444 regular season NHL games, all with the Islanders. A bumper crop of rising defensive talent in the Islanders’ organization seems to have pushed the shutdown defense out in favor of younger, cheaper, but less dependable blueline options.
Enticing goalie prospect Jean-Francois Berube was snatched away by Vegas at the expansion draft, and was replaced by Kristers Gudlevskis with a trade that sent forward prospect Carter Verhaeghe to Tampa Bay. Mikhail Grabovski will also be joining Berube in Vegas
Also gone is Ryan Strome, who had played all 258 of his NHL games with the Islanders, scoring 45 goals and 81 assists for 129 points. He’ll be playing in Edmonton this season, and in exchange the Islanders picked up a potentially huge offensive weapon.
New in New York:
The Islanders’ biggest offseason acquisition, the former Edmonton Oiler Jordan Eberle. He arrives with 165 goals and 217 assists for 382 points in 507 career NHL games, and two seasons left with a $6-million annual salary cap hit. Whether Eberle ends up playing on the same line as Tavares or not, he’s almost certainly an upgrade on offense for the Isles.
What’s left to do?
Back to that first point, how much is John Tavares worth to the Islanders?
Despite both sides appearing not to sweat at the prospect of a prolonged contract negotiation, the fans aren’t so lucky. With the Islanders’ captain looking at being a potential Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of this season, why not sign him sooner than later?
Besides that elephant in the room, the question of goaltending still lingers in New York. It looks like it will fall once again to the tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss, although your guess at who will be number-one is as good as mine. Halak is entering a contract year, so he’s got even more reason than usual to try and perform, although his willingness to stay with the Isles after another season shouldn’t be taken as a given.
Snow seems to have tried to tread lightly this summer, clearing up cap space that he’s going to need to resign the Islanders’ young talent, and putting off that inevitable Tavares payday as long as possible.
The question now is, did he do enough to improve the Islanders in one of the toughest divisions in the league?
