The New York Islanders might be in the NHL's most hopeless situation, and if the constant losing keeps up, there could be whispers of a potential fire sale that could make waves through Long Island, perhaps even before the league takes a break for the Olympics. It makes sense at first, considering the Isles' recent track record as a team that has been in steady decline.
The broader answer is that everyone should be headed for the fire escapes. The club hasn't played well defensively, relying far too much on Ilya Sorokin. Plus, the offense just hasn't been there. Yes, we've seen some great moments from Mathew Barzal. We've also seen Maxim Shabanov and Matthew Schaefer look good as rookies. Jonathan Drouin, suspension notwithstanding, has also looked solid. But that won't be enough to get the Isles out of the funk they're in to start the season.
During Lou Lamoriello's tenure with the NY Islanders, a portion of the contracts the former GM gave out involved max-term or close to it. The AAV given out was fair, but as the salary cap continues to rise, many of these contracts can be looked at as steals in their later years. The salaries given out this off-season have been substantially inflated. Today, Jake Walman signed a seven-year, $7M AAV contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
Anders Lee has two frames of reference as he enters the final season of his seven-year, $49 million deal at age 35. The first is, the Islanders captain went through this all before and can take an objective view on how it all may play out. Secondly, he watched former teammate and longtime friend Brock Nelson go through this last season, ending with his trade to the Avalanche.