The New York Islanders lost out on Alex DeBrincat and that's okay. But if the Islanders are going to be Stanley Cup contenders entering the 2023-24 season, there needs to be a Plan B.
The New York Islanders lost out on Alex DeBrincat and that's okay. But if the Islanders are going to be Stanley Cup contenders entering the 2023-24 season, there needs to be a Plan B.
The New York Islanders lost out on Alex DeBrincat, as it became official on Sunday night that the Detroit Red Wings were bringing him home and keeping him there for the next four years at an annual average value (AAV) of $7.875 million.
Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello, undeservingly, got most of the blame for not getting this trade done.
What was Lamoriello supposed to do if the player wanted to go home and was only willing to sign an extension with Detroit?
That's not to say Lamoriello is free of blame.
Not having enough cap space in free agency over the last few seasons hindered their ability to bring in top-flight players on the market, like Johnny Gaudreau and Nazem Kadri last summer (I didn't think Kadri was the best option, but I digress).
This summer, the Islanders spent their cap space on three pending unrestricted free agents, re-signing Pierre Engvall, Scott Mayfield, and Semyon Varlamov.
Money also went to pre-deadline acquisition Bo Horvat, who agreed to an eight-year extension upon arrival, as well as face-of-the-franchise forward Mathew Barzal, who inked an eight-year extension before the start of the 2022-23 campaign, both kicking in this fall.
That's 21 percent of the Islanders' total cap hit, which is currently incomplete as we await the Oliver Wahlstrom RFA contract announcement (deadline for Wahlstrom and RFAs to sign their qualifying offers is July 15th at 5 PM ET) as well as any subsequent trades and/or waives that come before the Islanders 2023-24 season officially begins on October 14th at UBS Arena against the Buffalo Sabres.
The Islanders also retained elite netminder Ilya Sorokin for eight years starting in 2024-25 for $8.25 million per year (a beautiful number for the Islanders, in my opinion), so they had to keep that in mind when handling contracts.
There were a lot of "Lamoriello can't get the big guy" takes out there Sunday night, which is a tad concerning given that on more than one occasion, as the Islanders' general manager, he has had tremendous success during trade deadline season.
Following a quiet deadline in 2018-19, Lamoriello went and brought in the top available player at the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline, acquiring and signing Jean-Gabriel Pageau long-term. The next season, Lamoriello brought in Kyle Palmieri, a top-name available (and Travis Zajac), signing the Long Island native long-term.
With the playoffs incredibly unlikely given the gauntlet the Islanders went through in the first half of the 2021-22 season, Lamoriello stood pat, signing Zach Parise to a one-year and Cal Clutterbuck to a two-year extension.
Parise's return this past season was integral to the club's success, while Clutterbuck struggled to stay healthy.
Horvat was the real "off-season" prize right before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, a move that didn't live up to full expectations to close out the season but one that should pay off immensely. The other add was Engvall, who signed a seven-year extension as he was part of the Islanders' best line for most of the second half and the entirety of the first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
With the lack of cap space right now, hockey trades will be the only option, as they have been since the Islanders announced their retainers on July 1st.
READ MORE: If Not DeBrincat, Then Who?
There's a hole on the defense, with the need for a left-side puck-moving defenseman.
There's always a need for a top-six goal scorer.
But there's always the possibility of upgrading depth pieces, depending on which players the Islanders believe can take that next step.
The Islanders returning with the same personnel doesn't mean they won't be better, as I dove into that misconception just a few days ago.
READ MORE: Deep Dive into Islanders 'Running It Back' Decision
However, if the Islanders want to be a true Stanley Cup contender, they need to address their needs, and it's on Lamoriello to get creative with the limited, non-existent cap space to either make a trade before the start of the season or continue to bank on his team the way it is.
He can then make proper adjustments -- if the Islanders are in or close enough to a playoff spot -- by the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, as we saw this past year.
Now things change if Oliver Wahlstrom becomes the elite sniper the Islanders envisioned him becoming, and Samuel Bolduc shows that he can be an everyday player and makes the Islanders better when he's in the lineup.
That's to be determined, but it certainly impacts decision-making right now if that's the club's outlook at this moment in time.
We are over three months away from the 2023-24 season beginning, so there's still time to improve the roster.
Can Lamoriello swing a deal for another big fish like Toronto Maple Leafs forward Willian Nylander? What about a defenseman like Calgary Flames Noah Hanafin?
Improbable or not, the Islanders' ability to go from a playoff hopeful to an upper-echelon team in the league hangs in the balance of the next three months. That's not to say the Islanders can be a top-three team in the Metropolitan Division the way they are constructed right now.
Nothing is off the table.
But a Plan B here following the DeBrincat news would go a long way to give the Islanders the best chance at a successful season and, depending on the player, putting the Islanders in the Cup contender conversation.
You can watch and listen to Stefen talk New York Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season.