New York Islanders' 3 Worst Contracts of 2023-24

The New York Islanders are still in the mix for a playoff spot, but their odds are decreasing with every game they continue to play poorly in. The Islanders seem stuck in the middle and have some bad contracts to thank for that despite other players having great seasons.

Anders Lee

The captain, Anders Lee, could be having a much better season. Unfortunately for the team, the soon to be 34-year-old has dropped off offensively by a large margin. After scoring 28 goals and 46+ points in each of the past two seasons, Lee has 18 goals and 32 points with 11 games to go. He brings other elements to the games, but he has a cap hit of $7 million AAV for another two seasons and has noticeably slowed down.

J.G. Pageau

J.G. Pageau's contract isn't as bad as Lee's considering the veteran actually plays more while centering the third line. While his two-way game is still strong, Pageau hasn't contributed much offense this season at all. He is down from recent seasons and only has nine goals and 28 points in 71 games. He doesn't play with the most skilled players, but $5 million AAV for another two seasons as well is a lot for someone who really only impacts the game defensively.

Matt Martin

The Islanders' fourth line that has played so well together throughout the years is coming to an end. While Casey Cizikas is currently on the third line and Cal Clutterbuck is still in the lineup on the fourth, Matt Martin has been made a healthy scratch and hasn't contributed much this season. Typically, he and the line can help out a bit more offensively, but that hasn't been the case for Martin in particular. He plays under 10 minutes a game, has three goals and seven points in 46 games, and has a cap hit of $1.5 million AAV. This is the final year of that deal though.