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In part two of our offseason position report, we are focusing on the defense.
Travis Hamonic rescinded his trade request he made prior to the start of the season and will remain with the team. Hamonic's decision changes the way general manager Garth Snow goes about his perhaps make-or-break offseason.
Hamonic's decision now leaves the Islanders defensive corp in solid hands. Lets be honest, Snow was not going to get equal value for Hamonic. It's the main reason why Hamonic remained with the team entire season. The 25-year-old carries a very team friendly $3.857 million-dollar cap hit for the next four seasons. Hamonic took another step forward this regular season and has played his best hockey the past two seasons. Kudos to Snow for not making a rash decision like a former New York Islanders general manager would have done.
The Isles depth now goes eight deep. The six (Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy, Hamonic, Calvin de Haan, Thomas Hickey and Ryan Pulock) that played in Game 5 against the Lightning will likely be the six that open the 2016-17 season. Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield will be the depth defensemen. Marek Zidlicky and Brian Strait are both unrestricted free agents and will not be back.
Leddy had a very weird first season of a seven-year, 38 million-dollar deal. He didn't record a point in the team's first seven games. His first goal of the season came in game 39 on January 2nd. Leddy had 28 points in 43 games following that goal. Despite seeing his goal total cut in half, Leddy set career highs in assists and points. The 25-year-old became the quarterback of the top power play unit in 2015-16, scoring 19 power-play points. Though he doesn't have the same shot as Boychuk or Pulock, Leddy needs to shoot the puck more in 2016-17. He is one of the best-skating defenseman with the puck in the league. His contract will end up being a bargain for the Isles.
The same might not be said for Boychuk. The 32-year-old struggled in the postseason, going pointless in 11 playoff games. It was assumed that he was dealing with some sort of injury, perhaps the shoulder he injured on New Year's Eve in Buffalo was not fully healed. Boychuk, on break-up day said that he was healthy. Not sure if he was just being a tough guy and unwilling to announce it. If he truly was healthy it certainly raises a red flag. Johnny Rocket is signed for another six years with a 6 million-dollar cap hit. The team was trying to limit his minutes following the injury. He saw his power-play time decrease to just under a minute per game, compared to Leddy's 2:45 of PP time per game. The emergence of Pulock, who will likely quarterback one of the PP units, can offset Boychuk's reduced time with the man advantage.
Now that Hamonic is off the table and if the Islanders feel Adam Pelech is ready to play full time, they could look to make Calvin de Haan available. The 2009 12th overall pick had a solid regular season but struggled a bit during the playoffs. de Haan became a shot-blocking machine, ranking fourth in the league with 198. The 25-year-old has one year left with a $1.967 million-dollar cap hit before he becomes a restricted free agent. Snow could offer the Oilers de Haan and their first round pick for Jordan Eberle. Snow could also take it a step further and offer de Haan, their first-round pick and one of their prospects, perhaps Michael Dal Colle for Taylor Hall. Eberle and Hall both have $6 million-dollar cap hits. Eberle has three years left, while Hall has four years left.
If they do not choose to trade de Haan and Pelech is the seventh defenseman, he has to start to season in Bridgeport. The 21-year-old missed three months with thoracic outlet syndrome. The issue plaguing Steven Stamkos right now. It was a real shame because he was coming into his own. Pelech needs to play. This cannot be another Matt Donovan situation. If they do not sign a depth defenseman, that role will likely go to Scott Mayfield.
I was wrong about Thomas Hickey. I thought that he should not have even been qualified last offseason. Hickey scored two of the biggest goals for the team this season, the playoff-clinching goal in Washington and the Game 3 OT winner against the Panthers. He set a career high with six goals despite missing 20 games. He also improved his plus/minus rating by 21 (from -12 to +9). He plays bigger than his 6-foot, 189 pound body, as evident on that Jonathan Drouin hit in Game 3 against the Lightning. Though he is not as fast as Leddy, he is one of the better Isles defensemen moving the puck into the offensive zone.
The Islanders, as a team, including the defense, have to increase their possession metrics. All of the defensemen saw their possession numbers decrease from a season ago.
In the latest edition of the Isles Buzz podcast we discuss Howie Rose's departure and analyze the goaltending situation.
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