Why did the New York Islanders have Justin Gill sign a deal with Bridgeport instead of signing him to his entry-level contract?
On Wednesday, the New York Islanders' 2023 fifth-round pick, Justin Gill, signed a contract with the Bridgeport Islanders.
In his final QMJHL (Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League) season, he tallied 40 goals and 58 assists for 98 points in 65 games for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
That gave Gill back-to-back 90-point seasons as he recorded 93 points (44 goals, 49 assists) in 2022-23 for the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
Gill is an over-ager, currently 21 years old. He joins Matt Maggio and William Dufour on Bridgeport, who also had successful overage junior seasons after being drafted.
The question is, why did the Islanders not sign him to his entry-level contract?
The Islanders own Gill's rights for another year, so signing him in Bridgeport allows them to avoid burning a contract slot on him.
Teams can have 50 contract slots every season, and the Islanders currently have 41 players signed.
Whether they remain with the team or not, the Islanders sent qualifying offers to five of their restricted free agents, bringing the total to 46.
It's likely that the Islanders have one to two more NHL signings to make before the start of the NHL season.
But no teams want to have 50 contracts signed before the puck drop in case they need to make a few signings during the season.
So, no one should be worried about the Islanders losing their rights to Gill.
Just, for now, it made more sense logistically to go the AHL-contract route.