NY Islanders Blueline: One D-Man Could Be a Buyout, 4 Looking at New Deals

The New York Islanders fell short of the playoffs for the second time in four years, and changes will be afoot this offseason. According to Arthur Staple in The Athletic, among the main group of defensemen, he sees the Isles re-signing three pending free agents, while potentially buying out one veteran.

Scott Mayfield a buyout candidate

Per Staple, the team should seriously consider a buyout of Scott Mayfield, who has a whopping five years left on his 7-year deal with a $3.5 million cap hit. He feels a trade, given the onerous amount left on his contract, "seems like a non-starter.

"You might see that Lamoriello is committed to moving at least one of the over-30 group out. The likeliest way to do that is by buying out Mayfield. The fact that he’s barely played while healthy the last two months is a sign his time could be up, and there’s no realistic way to trade him with that contract."

A buyout would cost them a $1.166M cap hit annually, with a savings of $2.333M for each of the next five years.

On the extension front, Staple can see the following:

Noah Dobson

Coming off a three-year bridge deal with a $4M cap hit, Dobson, despite his disappointing season, is still a top-4 D-man for the team and is only 25 years old. Staple figures a four or five-year deal in the range of $7.5-$8M AAV would be a reasonable price to pay.

Alexander Romanov

Another RFA, but Staple figures the Isles will want to go longer-term with the Russian blueliner, maybe six or seven years with an AAV of $6.5-$7M.

Tony DeAngelo

The 29-year-old controversial veteran was on the verge of retiring from the NHL when he didn't get a bite last summer in free agency. He signed a deal in the KHL, fared well, and the Islanders gave him a chance at a return to North America. He made the most of it, keeping out of trouble, and logging a career-high 23:21 of ice time per night, while putting up his usual decent offensive numbers, at 19 points in 35 games (a 44-point pace).

A one-year extension would certainly be in order, if he doesn't want to see what other teams are offering first.

Adam Boqvist to be extended

One other notable move coming on the backline, per Elliotte Friedman, would be an impending extension for newcomer Adam Boqvist. The 24-year-old was claimed off waivers in January, and did well to establish himself on the third pairing in the second half of the season. He registered eight points in 17 games while playing over 15 minutes a night.