Team: 2022-23 New York Islanders

Initial Creation Date: Jul. 7, 2022

Published: Jul. 7, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Romanov is a big addition - this team needed to solidify LD2 and getting a 22 year old with 5 years of team control is huge. A lot of the guys picked at 13 or immediately after profile as middle 6 guys at best, and are 2-3 years away - getting a guy in Romanov who's shown he can hold his own for 20 minutes a night is a great way to maximize the current team's potential without sacrificing some of the prospects you've already been developing.

With one of their biggest needs filled, now it's time to fill out the rest.

TRADES
-Gotta move Bailey's cap hit to try and get some flexibility. He's still a useful player so I think he gets something coming back; Arizona can use him as a veteran presence on a very young team and he's only paid $7M the next 2 years for $10M worth of cap hit. I'd add in a tweener prospect the way Winnipeg added Nathan Smith to get Bryan Little's deal into the desert if it gets the value back from the Coyotes - but I think Bailey *does* have some value as a useful player still.

-Richard Panik deserve to play some NHL games. Let him go somewhere for future considerations - some team will get some use out of him and potentially flip him out at the TDL.

-Let's play goalie musical chairs. Washington wants a veteran goalie to pair with one of their younger guys. Send them Semyon Varlamov, with retention if necessary (I know their LTIR situation is weird) to mentor Ilya Samsonov the way he was a great mentor for Ilya Sorokin in New York. Washington sends back a 3rd and a young forward in Brett Leason who has great underlying numbers that just haven't translated to counting stats yet. The pick turns into a 2nd if they need retention.

-Now that we have a need for a backup goalie, take advantage of the fact that Vegas wants to move the $2.325M cap hit Laurent Brossoit is taking up as their 3rd goalie. Send them something Lou clearly doesn't want in Bode Wilde and get back Brossoit and a 3rd for your troubles. Voila!

SIGNINGS
-Bridge deals for your 2nd pair - 2x$2.5 for new guy Romanov, and 2x$4.5M for Noah. The rest of your RFAs get sub-$1M deals, including Kieffer Bellows who should get more ice time under Lane Lambert.

-Andre Burakovsky is probably the most likely guy to leave the Avs now. I think he's a strong offensive play driver and will slot in nicely on that 2nd line. 5x$6M seems fair for him - gives him another shot at UFA when he's 32 and should have some gas left in the tank.

-Ian Cole signs for 2x$2.5M to play LD3 next to Scott Mayfield. I don't love a pair of defense-first D on the same pair, but getting 2 years of Cole means you have a strong defender on the bottom pair when Mayfield moves on next season.

-I like Nick Bjugstad! If he wants to sign for this I think you gotta snap him up. Now you can cycle Martin/Clutterbuck/Bjugstad/Bellows through that 4th line and keep everyone fresth.

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