from Matt Larkin of The Hockey News,

Can Lou Lamoriello pull it off?

There was no way the New York Islanders could survive the 2020 off-season unscathed. Top center Mathew Barzal, top defenseman Ryan Pulock and key puck-moving blueliner Devon Toews were RFAs and, thanks the flat salary cap of $81.5 million, the Isles couldn’t afford to re-sign even two of them, let alone all three. Whether Barzal was going to settle for a mid-term deal or a max-term deal, it was always going to cost a significant investment to lock him up: maybe Jack Eichel money at a $10-million AAV in a pre-COVID world and at least $8 million annually in a flat-cap world.

So GM Lou Lamoriello couldn’t keep all his RFAs. He punted Toews to the Colorado Avalanche for second-round picks in 2021 and 2022. That left Barzal and Pulock as the priority RFAs.

Now Pulock’s deal is done. He inked a two-year bridge deal at a $5-million AAV Wednesday. For Pulock: it’s fantastic. He gets a significant raise and will be a 28-year-old UFA when it finishes. He’ll likely hit the open market at his peak value.

From the Isles’ standpoint, the contract has pros and cons. For the next two years, Pulock will be a bargain at his $5-million cap hit.

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