This piece will be another in my series of player profiles, where I’ll give some thoughts on the performance of a member of the New York Islanders this season. This article will focus on Leo Komarov.
Komarov had an alright year, though it seems like he's at the point where he shouldn't be playing in the top-nine. He scored 14 points in 48 games, a pace of 24 points per 82 games, which was almost on par with last season. He adds a bit of an edge but his corsi for percentage was pretty terrible at just 43.6 per cent and his ice time dropped by well over a minute per game from last season, down to 12:36 per game, which ranked 11th amongst New York’s forwards.
I’d love to see the Islanders move Komarov, even if it’s unlikely, due to the fact that Lou Lamoriello seems to be a fan of his and most teams wouldn’t take that contract without a sweetener added in. I’d certainly try to move Johnny Boychuk, Cal Clutterbuck or Andrew Ladd’s contract first but Komarov is still taking up valuable cap space for minimal upside. With Ross Johnston, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck able to make up the fourth line next year and Komarov unworthy of taking up a spot in the top-nine, it would make sense to try shedding his contract this offseason if others can't be moved.
The Islanders are lacking a top-nine forward (two if Derick Brassard leaves in free agency) and while Komarov is... fine, that money would be much better spent on someone who can contribute offensively. At 33 years old and with two years left on a deal that pays $3M per year, he’s not enough of an asset to warrant that contract.
Here's today's poll question (results and discussion will be posted next Saturday):
Do you think the Islanders would have to add in assets in a trade to move Leo Komarov's contract?
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