Lamoriello left to fill Tavares void, other holes in roster
John Tavares deciding on Sunday to sign with the Maple Leafs leaves a void in the Islanders roster that is impossible to fill. But now, they have to try to do something to stay competitive, made more difficult by being late to the free-agent party.
At this point, team president Lou Lamoriello has to be exploring the trade market, the top of his wish list likely being Blue Jackets’ winger Artemi Panarin. Despite Columbus wanting to keep the electric 26-yearold goal-scorer, it’s very unlikely he will re-sign there long term after his contract expires following this season. The Jackets might hang on to him to start the year and watch as the demand rises near the trade deadline, or someone might make an offer before the start of the season that’s too good to turn down.
Either way, expect Lamoriello to be one of the most interested parties.
As for what actually got done on Sunday at the opening of free agency, Lamoriello hardly filled any major concerns. He re-signed diminutive and steady defenseman Thomas Hickey, inking the 29-yearold to a four-year, $10 million deal, with an annual cap hit of $2.5 million. He then paid a hefty price for veteran grinder Leo Komarov, the 31year-old winger whom Lamoriello knew from their time in Toronto signing a four-year, $12 million deal.
Their final signing of the day was veteran 34-year-old center Valterri Filppula to a one-year, $2.75 million deal. Filppula, 34, had 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games this past season with the Flyers.
What the Islanders need more than anything is a legitimate No. 1 goaltender, as Jaroslav Halak signed with the Bruins and Thomas Greiss struggled in the first season of his three-year, $10 million deal. With Lamoriello focused on the Tavares situation, the best goalies on the market went elsewhere — Carter Hutton to Buffalo, Cam Ward to Chicago and Jonathan Bernier to Detroit — not that any of them were top-of-the-line starters.
The Islanders also desperately need at least one top-four defenseman, and, at this point, one of those can only be had by trade. The biggest name out there obviously is Erik Karlsson, the Senators captain who is entering the final year of his deal and seems destined to leave Ottawa. The 28-year-old would have to want to sign an extension with the Islanders, something commensurate with Drew Doughty’s recently signed eight-year, $88 million deal. If Karlsson is interested in the Islanders, then there doesn’t seem to be a reason for Lamoriello not to be all-in.
The Islanders still have approximately $27 million of salary-cap space, and they are pretty high on some of their young prospects who are now going to get some long looks in training camp. But if they want to be competitive sooner rather than later, then trying to fill the void left by Tavares is going to be a large task.