The worst off-season moves from Metro Division teams

From the Islanders giving out term to anyone and everyone, to the Penguins overpaying for a mid-tier goaltender, there is plenty to choose from.

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One of my favorite endeavours each off-season is looking at the best and worst moves made from Metro Division teams.

I kicked off the mini-series on Monday, breaking down a handful of my favorite transactions.

Today I’ll be doing the opposite, zeroing in on a handful of moves I think teams will come to regret:

Islanders handing out term like candy

The Islanders are the definition of mid. They won as many games as the Buffalo Sabres and Nashville Predators. They recorded as many points as a dysfunctional Calgary Flames team that saw their GM walk away, their coach fired, and what feels like half of the roster ask for trades.

Knowing that, and only that, you would think the Islanders need meaningful change before they can move up the ladder of the NHL. Apparently not!

The off-season is slowly nearing its end and yet fringe forwards Karson Kuhlman and Julien Gauthier were the most notable additions made to the roster.

Lou Lamoriello’s summer focus was on keeping what the team already had. He opted to run it back – and paid absolutely outrageous prices to do so.

Semyon Varlamov is 35 years old and appeared in only 23 games last season due to a) Ilya Sorokin being a monster and; b) the Islanders needing Sorokin in net as often as possible because the team isn’t good.

The cost of keeping him around was apparently a four-year deal(!!) worth $2.75 million per season. That’s an $11 million contract for an old backup who will never be playing much barring injury to Sorokin, at which point the team is toast anyway.

The Islanders also handed out seven-year contracts to Pierre Engvall and Scott Mayfield. While both are solid players, they are not necessarily needle movers.

Engvall is best suited for a depth role while Mayfield is a one-way defenseman who plays heavy minutes and may not age all that gracefully.

I can understand handing out big term to keep contract values down if you’re a true contender and keeping these guys is imperative to your success.

But for a side that will likely need to fight tooth and nail just to sneak into a Wild Card spot and (likely) be tossed by a division winner in the 1st round? Egregious.

I don’t think it’ll be long before the Islanders pay for their actions this summer.

Blue Jackets ignoring goaltending