Mathew Barzal, Islanders agree to eight-year extension

Barzal was in the final year of a three year contract with a $7 million cap hit that he signed as a bridge deal after his entry-level contract. He was going to be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the end of the season. When the extension kicks in next season, he will have the 31st highest cap hit in the NHL, with his closest comparable being Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom at $9.2 million.

Like most of the Islanders team in 2021-22, Barzal is coming off a bit of a down season, at least by his standards. He had a career low 15 goals, but also had 44 assists for 59 points in 73 games and comes with plenty of playmaking and transitioning skills that just haven’t quite translated to elite production for him. Because of this, he has yet to surpass the totals from his 85-point rookie season, which was also the only time he’s hit the 20 goal mark.

Barzal also saw some defensive struggles last season, although he’s never been known as an elite defender. At best, he doesn’t hurt your system if it’s a strong defensive one, but since the Islanders struggled last season in that regard, so did Barzal. He finished the 2021-22 season with a 49% 5v5 shot attempt share and 48.89% 5v5 expected goal share, more due to his offensive ability than the defensive side of his game.

The Islanders head into the season looking to return to their back-to-back Conference finalist form after a disappointing season in 2021-22, although it could be tough to do so now that head coach Barry Trotz (who was an integral part to the Islanders success) is out of the picture. However, they have less to worry about as far as the 2023 offseason goes, as Barzal was easily the biggest contract that they had to worry about for next summer.