New York Islanders Sign Winger Andrew Ladd To 7-Year Deal

The New York Islanders’ busy offseason continued on Friday morning, as another big-name free agent will be headed to Brooklyn for the 2016-17 season.

New York added left winger Andrew Ladd on the first day of free agency, according to ESPN. Ladd’s deal is reportedly for $38.5 million over seven years, good for an AAV of $5.5 million per season.

The 30-year-old started his productive 13-year NHL career with the Carolina Hurricanes and won the 2006 Stanley Cup before later playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, and Winnipeg Jets after the Atlanta franchise moved. Ladd has piled up 210 goals and 256 assists with a +/- of 38 for his career, according to Hockey-Reference.

Winnipeg traded Ladd, who was the captain at the time, to the Blackhawks for his second stint in Chicago at the trade deadline, and he went on to score eight goals in 19 games. Ladd’s best season came in the strike-shortened 2012-13 campaign, when he chipped in 18 goals in 48 games and was named to his only All-Star team.

The Islanders will hope that kind of production will continue, as they just dished out a pretty large contract to an aging player. While the AAV of $5.5 million is about in line with what a player of Ladd’s caliber typically receives on the open market, the seven years could come back to bite the Islanders.

New York would probably be happy enough if Ladd could match the 46 total points he put up in 2015-16. However, it’s fair to question whether he’s going to be putting up those numbers when he’s in his mid-30s, as the Islanders may have a bad contract on its hands a few years down the line.

The team will hope Ladd can provide some major value in the short-term, as the Islanders enter the 2016-17 season at a bit of a crossroads. With superstar John Tavares in his prime, the Islanders need to think about winning now, but need some help from the supporting pieces.

New York had a successful year last season by qualifying for the postseason as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, and won its first playoff series in over two decades in seven games over the Florida Panthers. While Tavares and backup goalie Thomas Greiss carried the team nearly by themselves, it was still an impressive feat for the franchise against a heavily favored up-and-coming team.

However, the Islanders would bow out in the second round against the Tampa Bay Lightning in five quick games, showing the difference in quality between New York and the top teams in the NHL. The team struggled to score goals against the ultra-quick Lightning, as Tavares had little help.

The key for New York this offseason was to improve the surrounding pieces to give Tavares some support. However, the roster looks much worse, as the Islanders have lost key pieces in Kyle Okposo to the Buffalo Sabres and Frans Nielsen to the Detroit Red Wings.

Okposo has been a key player for the franchise since debuting in New York back in 2007 with 369 career points, per Hockey-Reference. Nielsen, also a part of the Islanders franchise for a decade, is an even bigger loss, as he was in fine form last season with 52 points, according to the same source.

With those two gone, the Islanders are going to need Ladd to have one of the best seasons of his career to get enough scoring. The Islanders also added winger Jason Chimera on day one after the 37-year-old had a fine season with the Washington Capitals. Matt Martin, the key player on New York’s outstanding fourth line, has yet to sign.

While the decision to add Ladd on a big contract is understandable given the need to win now, the Islanders could be stuck with a bad contract four or five years from now.

[Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]