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New York Islanders Lock up One of Their Restricted Free Agents

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The New York Islanders have completed their first business of their offseason, the resigning of one of their restricted free agents (RFAs). The player that re-signs to a three-year contract is 25-year-old centre from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, Kyle MacLean . MacLean spent the last four seasons with the Islanders AHL affiliate in Bridgeport . In 200 games over the past four seasons down with the AHL team, MacLean racked up 29 goals and 52 assists for a total of 81 points. For the 2022-23 season, he set AHL career-highs in goals with 11, assists with 16, and points at 27. In addition to his professional career, he played in 278 Ontario Hockey League games with the Oshawa Generals. Moreover, he scored 51 goals and 105 assists for 156 points in those games. He even served as the captain of the team from 2018-20. MacLean made his NHL debut on January 19th, 2024 against the Chicago Blackhawks . When he finally got his chance with the NHL team, he has not looked back since.

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New York Islanders RFA Kyle MacLean Re-Signs Three-Year Deal

After making his NHL debut, he scored his first career goal in his sixth game with the team. The goal came on a breakaway against the Toronto Maple Leafs. His dad John MacLean , an assistant coach with the New York Islanders, was behind the bench. He now reups with the team to keep playing with his father having the best seat in the house for each game. His contract is three years and for $2,325,000 total. That averages out to $775,000 a season just a tick above the league’s $750,000 minimum salary. With the money situation that the Islanders are in, getting young players on a cheap contracts for multiple years, is a good route to take. General Manager Lou Lamoriello took the first step in that direction with this move in what is a huge offseason for the team. Before the MacLean signing, the Islanders were projected to have just $6.42 million of open cap space, less than all but four teams league-wide. With his signing factored in they’re now sitting at $5,812,500 of projected cap space.

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What Did He Do This Season?

After he was called up, he went on to stick in the Islanders bottom six, providing much-needed depth down the middle for the team. In 32 games, he recorded four goals and five assists for a total of nine points. He played a total of 322 ice time minutes and took 463 shifts for the team. In addition, he also played in every post-season game and even scored a goal in one of them. He didn’t light up the scoresheet, and has room to grow in this area, as his expected goals were down to 2.7. His faceoff skills could also use some work as his faceoff win percentage was 42.5%. However, most of his contributions and value came from his physical two-way play. MacLean finished with 60 hits on the season. His ability to play a defensive-first style with great puck-hounding skills is what the Islanders like. He was strong on the puck in both ends and was always aggressive on the forecheck.

What Does This Mean for the Islanders?

The signing means that the Islanders brass liked what MacLean brought to the team. Enough to want to keep him around for the next couple of seasons. It means that the Islanders lock up a young player at a reasonable cost to sure up their bottom six. With MacLean and Casey Cizikas both now locked up for the next three years, it is unclear how the lineup will shake out. It is possible that Cizikas plays the third-line centre and MacLean plays the fourth. Moreover, this signing also means that centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau is now more expendable than ever . His name has most frequently come up in trade rumors as the Islanders look to shed money and continue looking for upgrades to their top six.

Main photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The post New York Islanders Lock up One of Their Restricted Free Agents appeared first on Last Word On Hockey .