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New York Islanders Sign Ryan Pulock

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The New York Islanders have signed restricted free agent defenseman Ryan Pulock to a new two-year contract. The deal, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, will carry an average annual value of $5MM. Pulock had a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for later this week, which will no longer be necessary. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic provides the full breakdown:

  • 2020-21: $2.26MM salary + $740K signing bonus
  • 2021-22: $5.16MM salary + $1.5MM signing bonus

Because he is an unassuming piece of the Islanders defensive puzzle, you may not realize just how good Pulock has been over the last several years. Over the last three seasons, Pulock ranks 33rd in scoring among NHL defensemen with 104 points in 218 games, 21st in goals with 23. That already puts him in the upper-echelon of offensive blueliners, but given he also brings a steady defensive stick and physical presence it’s hard not to wonder why he gets so little league-wide praise.

With a $5MM price tag, perhaps he’ll start getting his due as one of the better defensemen in the league and a leader on the Islanders back end. The concerning part for New York fans, is how long he’ll stay a part of that Islanders back end.

A two-year contract means that Pulock will reach unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2022 when he is just 27 years old. If he’s not re-signed by then, he’ll be one of the youngest free agents on the market and likely able to command a huge, long-term offer. Should his offensive production continue, there’s a chance he even would be one of the very best free agents available at any position.

Still, for now he can provide strong play for a reasonable price and fits into an Islanders financial situation that will have a chance to reset itself in a few years. Pulock, Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy and Thomas Hickey are now all on contracts that expire following the 2021-22 season, meaning the team will have the option to build their defense around a different—and likely younger—core.

Because Pulock was the Islanders final arbitration case, they will now receive a 24-hour buyout window that will open on Friday. They can only buy out players that have a cap hit of at least $4MM.

Lamoriello: Schneider Rumors Likely To Come To Fruition

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Three weeks ago, reports surfaced that the Islanders were set to sign veteran goaltender Cory Schneider in what looked to be a number three role but that hasn’t yet materialized.  However, GM Lou Lamoriello told NHL.com’s Brian Compton that he expects a deal to get done:

The 34-year-old hit the open market when New Jersey opted to buy out the final two years and $12MM of his contract earlier this month following a pair of tough years that saw him post a .897 SV% and a 3.22 GAA in 39 games.  In the ideal scenario for the Islanders, Ilya Sorokin thrives as the backup to Semyon Varlamov and Schneider isn’t needed but if the rookie falters, it appears they’ll eventually have an experienced veteran in place that can be called upon if needed.

Josh Ho-Sang Avoids Arbitration

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The New York Islanders and Josh Ho-Sang have avoided arbitration, signing a new one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Ho-Sang had a hearing scheduled for Friday, which will no longer be required.

Ho-Sang, 24, appeared to be heading toward a split with the Islanders after another testy season. He played only 16 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, requested a trade, and found himself sent nearly 2,000 miles away to San Antonio, loaned to the AHL’s Rampage. Even a qualifying offer was surprising, but the team obviously didn’t want to allow him to walk into unrestricted free agency without receiving any value back.

Now, on a two-way, league-minimum contract, Ho-Sang’s trade value may actually have crept high enough for something to get done. Teams around the league that need to fill out their lineup with cheap forwards could call the Islanders and give the talented offensive player a chance. While he certainly hasn’t proven anything to this point, Ho-Sang does have 24 points in 53 career NHL games and has always been able to contribute on the minor league powerplay.

The Islanders haven’t escaped arbitration completely just yet. The team still has a hearing with star defenseman Ryan Pulock scheduled for November 6, and also has a negotiation to complete with the ineligible Mathew Barzal.

New York Islanders Sign A.J. Greer

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After trading for the rights to forward A.J. Greer last week, the New York Islanders have now come to terms on a new contract with the restricted free agent. CapFriendly reports that Greer has agreed to a one-year, two-way contract to begin his tenure with the Islanders. The deal carries the minimum $700K salary at the NHL level and $100K at the AHL level, with a minimum of $125K overall guaranteed.

Greer, 23, landed in New York early last week in a deal that saw defenseman Kyle Burroughs go to the Colorado Avalanche. In four seasons with the Avs, Greer struggled to stick in the NHL lineup. It’s been a theme in the career of the talented forward, who also didn’t fit at Boston University and ended up leaving for the QMJHL. A 2015 second-round pick, Colorado gave Greer chances to carve out a role, but he consistently struggled to make the most of his opportunities. This past season, Greer did not play in the NHL at all. He counts just 37 games and six points at the top level for his career thus far.

With that said, Greer has always showed promise even if it hasn’t translated to the NHL. A big, two-way winger with good AHL numbers, a fresh start may be exactly what Greer needs. In the Islanders’ defense-oriented system, he may actually be an ideal fit in the bottom-six if he can win a job in camp or work his way into the lineup during the season. On just a one-year deal, Greer is hoping to establish his value before another round of RFA negotiations. A strong campaign could land him a multi-year extension, while a failure to make anything of his new chance could cost him a qualifying offer and land him on the open market. It’s a do-or-die season for the young forward.

New York Islanders To Re-Sign Parker Wotherspoon

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Parker Wotherspoon received a qualifying offer from the New York Islanders, but he’ll take a two-year extension with a decrease in NHL salary and an increase in AHL salary rather than accept a one-year raise. CapFriendly reports that the Islanders have come to terms on a new two-way deal with the young defenseman. Wotherspoon is set to make the minimum $700K at the NHL level this year and $750K in the NHL next year for an AAV of $725K. In the AHL, he will earn $100K ($125K total guaranteed) in 2020-21 and $125K ($185K total guaranteed) in 2021-22.

Wotherspoon, 23, is coming off his entry-level contract with three productive AHL seasons under his belt. In fact, the mobile defenseman’s point total has improved year over year. His 27 points in 2019-20 was good enough for fourth among all skaters for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He also set a career high in penalty minutes as his 6’2″ frame has been put to good use with a more physical presence.

With the departure of Devon Toews and the possibility of more moves on the Islanders blue line, Wotherspoon’s odds of an NHL opportunity have improved, even if New York still has a deep group of defensemen. Given his consistent offense and pro size, Wotherspoon has earned a shot if he can get one. With five defensemen signed to one-way contracts, RFA Ryan Pulock expected to re-sign, and prospects Noah Dobson and Sebastian Aho likely ahead of him in the pecking order, Wotherspoon will need some luck for chances to open up, but once they do he could prove himself as an NHL-ready player.

 

Islanders, Matt Martin Working Towards A Contract

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UFA winger Matt Martin is working on a deal to remain with the Islanders, reports Arthur Staple of The Athletic (Twitter link).  Staple adds that as many as seven teams expressed an interest in signing the free agent but that Martin wants to stay on the Island.  While the Rangers had been speculated as a possible landing spot, Staple relays in a separate tweet that they are not among the teams that have shown interest.

The 31-year-old has had two separate stints with the Isles and has spent the last two seasons there after being re-acquired from Toronto back in 2018 in a cap-clearing move by Toronto.  He has never been much of an offensive contributor (although he did manage five goals in 22 playoff games) but he has been among the top physical wingers in the league throughout his career and has been an important part of what has been an impactful fourth line for New York.

Despite that, it’s quite likely that Martin will be looking at a pay cut from the $2.5MM AAV he carried on his last contract.  With many teams looking to save money and needing to do so with some of their depth players, his price tag should come in lower despite the considerable interest he has received.  He is ranked 39th on our Top 50 UFA list with a projected two-year, $3.2MM contract.

Islanders Re-Sign Mitchell Vande Sompel

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The Islanders continue to take care of their AHL restricted free agents.  PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed defenseman Mitchell Vande Sompel to a two-year, two-way contract.  He’ll make $700K in the NHL and $90K in the AHL next season while those numbers jump to $750K and $125K respectively for 2021-22.

The 23-year-old was a third-round pick (82nd overall) of the Islanders back in 2015 and he showed some offensive promise in his first two seasons with AHL Bridgeport and put up 10 goals and 21 assists in 70 games in 2018-19.  However, Vande Sompel suffered an arm injury in training camp that put an end to his 2019-20 campaign before it even got underway.

While Vande Sompel, who also has played as a right winger at times going back to junior, has to clear waivers next season, that seems like a probable outcome considering how much time he has missed.  But over these next couple of seasons, he could play his way into the NHL mix if he can pick up from where he left off back in 2019.

Lamoriello: Strong Chance Islanders Re-Sign Andy Greene

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  • Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello told reporters, including NHL.com’s Brian Compton (Twitter link) that veteran there is a “strong chance” that veteran UFA defenseman Andy Greene will return. New York acquired the 37-year-old from New Jersey back in February but instead of using him as a top-four blueliner like he had been previously, Greene was deployed in more limited minutes.  After making $5MM per season for the last five years, it’s safe to suggest that he’ll be taking a significant pay cut to stick around.

Islanders Re-Sign Grant Hutton

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The Islanders have agreed to terms with one of their restricted free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that New York has signed defenseman Grant Hutton to a two-year, two-way contract.  The deal is worth $700K in the NHL next season with a $100K AHL salary and a $125K guarantee while his NHL pay in 2021-22 will be $750K with a $125K AHL salary and a $200K guarantee.

The 25-year-old signed with the Islanders as an undrafted free agent in 2019 after wrapping up his college career at Miami (Ohio) and was capped to a one-year entry-level term due to his age.  Hutton’s first full professional campaign was a decent one as he posted 21 points in 55 games with AHL Bridgeport, good for third among Sound Tigers defensemen.

While Hutton is a little old by prospect standards, he is still exempt from waivers for the 2020-21 season (unless he plays in 60 NHL games).  He’ll likely return to Bridgeport and will try to position himself for a recall whenever injuries strike in New York next season.

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