As a New York Rangers fan it is hard to admit when the New
York Islanders are doing things the right way, but over the past few months
they are certainly making strides in that direction with their commitment to
locking up their best players long-term.
In the past three months the Islanders have locked up Matt Moulson to a
3-year deal before he became an unrestricted free agent, then signed Calder
Trophy nominee Michael Grabner to a friendly 5-year deal for $15 million.
Today, according
to Ken Campbell of The Hockey News, they added to that list by locking current
assistant captain Klye Okposo to a 5-year extension of his own worth $14 for a
very reasonable average cap hit of $2.8 million a season. Combine those three signings with the hope of
a new arena and the tremendous prospects that are on the horizon for the
Islanders and it is not hard to envision the Islanders making a comeback to the
land of a competitor in short order. If Al Montoya can play next season as he did following his acquisition along with the return of Mark Streit and the influx of talented prospects, that return to the playoffs could be as soon as next season.
