Trotz The New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/new-york-islanders-pierre-engvall-scott-mayfield-semyon-varlamov-ilya-sorokin] went into the off-season with the goal of retaining their unrestricted free agents. For a total salary cap hit of $9.25 million, the Islanders brought back forward Pierre Engvall on a seven-year deal worth $21 million, defenseman Scott Mayfield on a seven-year deal worth $24.5 million, and netminder Semyon Varlamov on a four-year deal worth $11 million. The Islanders also inked goaltender Ilya Sorokin to an eight-year deal worth $66 million. READ MORE: Islanders Bring Back Engvall, Mayfield & Varlamov, Extend Sorokin [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/new-york-islanders-pierre-engvall-scott-mayfield-semyon-varlamov-ilya-sorokin] Per Puckpedia, the Islanders now have just $1.08 million in cap space, and that's before signing restricted free agent forward Oliver Wahlstrom [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/oliver-wahlstrom-new-york-islanders-knee-injury-season-ending-training-camp] (who will get most if not all of that) at some point before the July 15th, 5 PM deadline. There was an automatic misconception Saturday evening that the Islanders are just "running it back" with the same group, and in terms of personnel, that's where we stand (or sit, I don't judge) right now. However, Engvall, for a full season alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, has the potential to be one of the better second lines in hockey if their magic from the second half of the 2022-23 season carries over. Couple that with the needed reminder of what a full year of Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat could look like, a full year of Alexander Romanov, who found his game in the second half, and having the best backup in the league behind Sorokin, the Islanders — in theory — should be better than they were in 2022-23. But is being better enough in this tough Metropolitan Division? Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello mentioned, that if more improvements come, they would be via "hockey trades". "We've signed certainly the free agents with the dollars that we had available, and now to get better — as everyone tries to do — It'll be a hockey trade," Lamoriello said. The Islanders could use another puck-moving defenseman, but Lamoriello seems more than pleased with the makeup of his defense. "I'm confident in this group. When I say number 100% comfortable, you always like to get better," Lamorielli said. "In our defense, if I look at them, Ryan Pulock raised his game to the level that we thought he could be. In fact, in my mind, he was our best defenseman in the playoffs. Lamoriello continued: "Adam Pelech, I think we know what he brings in his game. And I think Noah Dobson has tremendous growth [...] And now with the size and strength with Scotty (Mayfield), and also the growth of Romanov. Romanov came in, I thought, along with Ryan Pulock, has raised his game, especially coming off an injury. So I feel very good about it. Certainly, there's an opening on that left side that was shared by Aho for the most part, and then Bolduc. If we can get better and add to that...but this is a solid defensive group." It sounds like the focus will be on upgrading the forward group. Per multiple reports on Saturday, the Islanders were in talks with the Ottawa Senators regarding restricted free agent Alex DeBrincat [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/alex-debrincat-new-york-islanders-ottawa-senators-jean-gabriel-pageau], with Jean-Gabriel Pageau a likely piece going back if the trade comes to fruition. READ MORE: Islanders Active in Acquiring DeBrincat From Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/alex-debrincat-new-york-islanders-ottawa-senators-jean-gabriel-pageau] Per Puckpedia: "When there's a qualifying offer, if arbitration has not been filed, the player can decide to just sign and accept the Qualifying Offer. So if Ottawa had not elected arbitration, at any point now, he can just sign the paper and take the 1 year $9M deal. But because they filed for arbitration, there is no qualifying offer for him to sign" So, in theory, DeBrincat could sign a one-year deal with the Islanders at any price, which changes the game. With Pageau off the books, if the trade were to happen ($5 million), followed by the waiving/burying of Ross Johnston ($1.1 million), the Islanders would need to clear an additional $1.9 million to make things work. If Wahlstrom went the other way, the Islanders would then have that $1.08 million in space to use, leaving them with an excess of $820,000 that would need to be dealt with. The Islanders could also move on from Cal Clutterbuck and his $1.75 million, but they would still need to move $1.15 million more to make DeBrincat work while having at least 12 forwards rostered. For example, if the Islanders wanted to send a player like Simon Holmstrom down, which would save $793,000, the Islanders would still need to call someone else up, so that wouldn't work, cap-wise. Another high salary, like a Kyle Palmieri ($5 million), might have to be on the move, too. Reminder, teams can be 10% ($8.35 million) above the salary cap as long as they are cap compliant by game one of the regular season. DeBrincat may be too rich, especially after all these signings, but that doesn't mean he is the only option for New York. Could Philadelphia Flyers Travis Konecny [https://puckpedia.com/player/travis-konecny] ($5.5 million AAV) be an option? What about Adam Henrique [https://puckpedia.com/player/adam-henrique] ($5.825 million AAV) of the Anaheim Ducks? Regardless of what forward is brought in, there's a sure need for one, as running it back likely won't be good enough. Maybe there was a method to Lamoriello releasing all his contract information earlier than normal.
