Islanders Could Free Up Cap Space By Moving 2 Defensemen

The New York Islanders are in an interesting but tough spot. They are one of the teams stuck in purgatory as they can't get into the playoffs or do any damage in the playoffs and they can't finish at the bottom of the standings for a top draft pick. That, of course, changed this season with a lot of luck, but winning the draft lottery won't happen every year.

Whether the Islanders draft first or move down to second this year, their team needs immediate help unless they want to tear things down. That shouldn't be the goal yet and the team has to sign RFAs like Noah Dobson, Alexander Romanov, and Simon Holmstrom as well as bolster the forward group. They can't do that with very limited cap space and Russ Macias of Nation Hockey Now suggested that Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield could be cap casualties to free up necessary space.

Pulock is 29 years old and has been an impactful and underrated defenseman for the Islanders for many years. He plays both power play and penalty kill and is a top-4 d-man. Mayfield is a bottom pairing defenseman who is 31 years old and has also been on the Islanders his entire career. Both contracts have five years remaining and end after the 2029-30 season.

It won't be that easy to move either contract, especially without eating some of the cap. Pulock has a cap hit of $6.15 million AAV while Mayfield's cap hit is $3.5 million AAV. They each play different games and there is no chance either of them are bought out. With a little bit of cap retained, the Islanders should be able to get something for each of them.

There are just too many options on the Islanders' defense as along with the projected top six, there is Adam Boqvist, who just re-signed, Isaiah George, Samuel Bolduc, and if they draft Matthew Schaefer, a fourth extra who could be playing in the NHL. Tony DeAngelo is a UFA, but he did well enough to get another contract. At this point, I don't see that coming with the Islanders though.

This could be a very busy offseason for the Islanders, especially with the need to make a move to free up cap space and room on defense.