Mathew Barzal Encouraged to Hold His Ground Against Islanders

Thursday, January 07, 2021

Mathew Barzal is still without a contract meanwhile the New York Islanders are busy signing Matt Martin to a four-year extension. While things certainly seem a touch backwards on Long Island, the growing consensus around the hockey world is for Barzal to stand his ground against Islanders general manager, Lou Lamoriello and to not back down from his demands. 

Barzal is a superstar in this league and one of the bright young stars the league is trying to build around, especially in a big market in New York. There's no need for him to shy away from what he's worth and he should be fighting for every penny. 

Last season Barzal finished the year with 60 points in 68 games and took his game to another level in the playoffs with 17 points in 22 games. The Islanders are a bright young team with a ton of potential, their biggest issues is the management's use of their salary cap and Barzal shouldn't be the one punished because of it. 

Lamoriello has a long history of playing hard-ball with players from his days in New Jersey and with the Toronto Maple Leafs. There's reports he's keeping Josh Ho-Sang away from the NHL completely out of spite. There's rumblings Lamoriello wants to sign Barzal for under $6 million, meanwhile he's worth at least $8 million if you compare him to the rest of the league.

Interesting times to be a fan of the Islanders and it's starting to come down to 'whose side are you on' in this battle between Lamoriello and Barzal.

Photo credit: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire



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