New York Islanders: Top 3 compliance buyout options

If the NHL brings back compliance buyouts this summer, who could the New York Islanders use it on? Here are three potential options.

With the NHL salary cap being affected due to the halt in play, and the seeming inevitable cancellation of the regular season and the playoffs, teams may receive a ‘get out of jail free card’ on a few disgusting contracts, called a compliance buyout, which is something teams were rewarded after the shortened 2012-13 campaign. The New York Islanders used one on Rick DiPietro.

Unlike a regular buyout, these issued compliance buyouts give the players two-thirds of their contract over twice the length of time, to ease some financial pressure. There are other rules that play a part in these decisions that you can check out here.

The Islanders have some options here with some contracts that haven’t lived up to expectations or rather some players that just do not fit in the system anymore, taking precious ice time away from the team’s top prospects.

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In my last piece Islanders piece, I discussed that the team needed to re-sign all their restricted free agents this offseason, especially super-star in the making in 22-year old Mathew Barzal.

The other two remaining RFA’s reside on the backend, in 25-year old Ryan Pulock, and 26-year old Devon Toews. These two players will be brought back, as they have worked well in their head coach’s defensive driven system.

I also went on to mentioned the possibility of certain players potentially being bought out to provide extra cap money for these RFA’s, as well as signing a high-caliber offensive weapon in Mike Hoffman.

And Islander fans have seen bad contracts in the past (cough cough Rick DiPietro), that if given the option of a compliance buyout could have really changed the trajectory of the franchise. There are four players on the roster that general manager Lou Lamoriello and staff may look at as a compliance buyout option.

Andrew Ladd

34 years old, $5.5 million cap hit, 3 years left

When Andrew Ladd signed his 7-year $38.5 million dollar contract to become a member of the Islanders in the offseason prior to the 2016-17 campaign, big things were expected from the former Stanley Cup winner.

His first season on the island was a strong rebound season for the then 31-year old registering 23 goals and eight assists in 79 games. The following season the goals department took a hit from 23 to 12, but he rose his assists from eight to 17 in 73 games.

But since then it has been a complete nightmare for Ladd. Over the last three seasons, he has missed significant time due to first a back injury, and then tearing his ACL in his right knee and left on two separate occasions.

Since the start of 2018, Ladd has only played in 33 games, amassing four goals and eight assists. This season he has played in just four games.

As he tried to make his way back to the NHL this season, he was placed on waivers in November as the team just did not believe he was physically ready to return, and with the Islanders playing such strong hockey at that point of the season there was no place for him in the lineup.

But due to the team’s mediocre performance down the stretch, Ladd got his chance to prove he still had something to offer.

When the Trade Deadline was approaching, the only way he could be dealt with is if he showed he was physically fit, and he got that chance two days before the big day against the Detroit Red Wings. Even though he did not register a point, he came flying out of the gate with a physical brand of hockey recording six hits and a block in 11:25 of ice time.

A few days later, on deadline day, it seemed that he would be dealt to the Minnesota Wild before the 3 pm deadline, as both he and Wild’s Zach Parise waived their No-Trade Clauses. But the deal was not able to be completed on time as there were other stipulations that got in the way.

But the message was clear. The Islanders wanted to move on from a player that just was not worth the money.

With a trade still possible, there will not be a suitable trade partner that is willing to pay the full contract. And even if there was, that team will probably be dumping a player that they want off the books, meaning the Islanders would have to pay regardless.

But with a potential compliance buyout option, the Islanders could pay him around $11 million over six years ($1.83 Mil AAV), which saves the team a year of his contract.

Leo Komarov

33 years old, $4 million cap hit, 2 years left

While Leo Komarov has been a serviceable player for the Islanders, he has become one of those depth guys that does not impact the scoreboard, but more of just a physical presence, as well as being defensively minded. The problem for Komarov is that the Islanders have a handful of players in the same boat, with team friendlier contracts.

Before joining the Islanders, Komarov, a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was good for around 30 points a year, as his main role was getting under the skin of opponents, acting as a pest.

But since the start of 2015, his offensive numbers have plummeted, and since joining the Islanders on a four-year deal worth $12 million dollars before the start of the 2017-18 season, the Estonian native has recorded only10 goals and 30 assists in 130 games. More was definitely expected on the offensive side of the puck for that kind of money.

This season, Komarov has missed significant time with a neck injury and then an illness which halted his return. And when he finally made his way back into the lineup, he was rather non-existent, resulting in becoming a healthy scratch more often than not due to the abundance of similar players such as Michael Dal Colle, Thomas Kuhnhackl, and Ross Johnston being awarded opportunities.

The fact that Komarov even got the contract he did to join the Islanders is a bit alarming given the fact that he has never scored 20 goals in a season, and his offensive stats were on the decline.

If the Islanders were to use a compliance buyout on Komarov, they would have to pay him $8 million over the next four years ($2 million AAV), saving the team $4 million.

Johnny Boychuk

36 years old, $6 million cap hit, 2 years left

Johnny Boychuk is a tough sell to be considered for a compliance buyout. Since joining the team on a 7-year deal worth $42 million back before the 2015-16 season, he has not only been a mentor on the back end for many of the up-and-coming young players but has been an absolute warrior. While we have seen his defensive awareness take a hit as he gets up there in age, his style of play has not changed.

Every single game, you can find the Edmonton native putting his body on the line to block shots, coming up with timely plays to help his team.

Known as “Johhny Rocket” due to his absolute cannon of a slapshot, he has been an effective defenseman in his time on the island.

But this season has really been a tough one for Boychuk on both sides of the puck. While being paired with rookie Noah Dobson throughout the season has put a ton of pressure on him, he has seen his offensive numbers become obsolete, with just two goals and eight assists in 68 games.

While that goal mark is only one shy of his production during the 2018-19 season, the assists have not been there either, as his playing time has decreased.

On the defensive side of the puck, Boychuk has turned the puck over 50 times in 64 games, the second-highest total of his career, which he set during the 2018-19 season recording 56 turnovers in 74 games.

While he is still blocking an abundance of shots, with 128 this season, it seems that it is taking a toll on him. He always seems to be in some pain leaving the ice and you can see the facial expressions of a player that is aging, which is inevitable but still upsetting to see.

From the start of 2009 until the end of the 2018 campaign, this was a defenseman averaging 20 minutes per game every single night. But since the start of 2019, he has seen his TOI go from 18:50 to 17:17.

The Islanders’ backline each year has become more crowded, with younger players making strides accumulating more playing time, resulting in Boychuk being demoted to the third-line pairing.

And even though Dobson, the number 12 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, has struggled in his first taste at NHL action, the 20-year old will certainly make his way into the starting lineup more consistently next year and hopefully becoming a weapon for years to come.

Boychuk has been out of the Islander lineup since March 3rd, after taking a skate blade to the face during a game against the Montreal Canadiens. While the scene was a scary one, the blade luckily, and thankfully, cut his eyelid, with no damage to his eye.

If and when NHL action returns, Boychuk said he will be ready to go.

Looking at the future, particularly next year, offseason moves will surely impact if it’s worth keeping Boychuk on the roster. Assuming Pulock and Toews are re-signed, that leaves seven defensemen fighting for six spots, not including if UFA Andy Greene is brought back on a one-year deal.

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More than likely, the Islanders would rather keep Boychuk, but it is still a possibility. If the team decides to go that route and use their compliance buyout on Boychuk, he will be given $8 million over the next four year years ($2 Mil AAV) saving the team $4 million.

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