The Fourth Period: It’s believed the New York Islanders are trying to trade defenseman Johnny Boychuk and forward Leo Komarov.
Boychuk’s cap hit is $6 million but his salary is $1.25 million this season and $4 million the following year. They could package the two second-round picks from the Devon Toews trade to help move Boychuk’s contract.
Komarov has a $3 million cap hit but only $1.5 million salary this year and $2 million next season.
It’s believed the Islanders are close to re-signing Andy Green and working on Matt Martin.
Arthur Staple of The Athletic: New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello said last week that there is a “strong chance” that they re-sign forward Matt Martin and defenseman Andy Greene.
Greene could get a one-year deal at under $2 million. A source said that seven teams inquired on Martin, but he’s working on a two-year deal with the Islanders.
The Islanders could use a third-line winger. Derick Brassard remains a potential option, though he’s also been getting some interest from other teams. The Islanders don’t have a lot of salary cap space, so they’ll be looking for bargains unless they move out salary.
Potential free agent third-line options include Carl Soderberg, Erik Haula, Alex Galchenyuk, Riley Sheahan, Anthony Duclair, Andreas Athanasiou and Dominik Kahun.
The Fourth Period noted Islanders might use their recently acquired 2021 and 2022 second-round picks to package with Johnny Boychuk and his $6 million salary cap hit for next two years instead of their 2021 first-round pick that teams will likely be asking for.
Teams that have cap room include the Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, and the Detroit Red Wings.
If Andrew Ladd doesn’t pass his physical because of knee issues, he could be LTIR’d and they’d gain $5.5 million in potential cap space.
If the Islanders and Ryan Pulock go through arbitration, he’d likely get somewhere in the $5.5 million range.
Mathew Barzal doesn’t have arbitration rights and though a high priority, it could take the longest to resolve. An offer sheet seems like a long shot given the number of teams that don’t have much salary cap space.