Rumor: NY Islanders offer long-term contract to Nazem Kadri
2022 NHL Stanley Cup Final - Game Six / Christian Petersen/GettyImages
The smoke around the rumor that Nazem Kadri and the NY Islanders continues to get thicker. We're now well into August, and the second-best free agent coming into free agency on July 13th remains unsigned and supposedly available. About a week after the report that Kadri and the Islanders have agreed to a hush deal, details on the contract may have been revealed.
The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta joined Montreal 690's TSN Radio referencing the likely marriage between the Islanders and Kadri, describing the signing as a "formality."
"Seven-year contract for Nazem Kadri with the Islanders. They'll announce that soon. And by soon, it could be a couple of weeks because, it's the Islanders. I have no doubt that he won't be with the Islanders. They pretty much have that set in, it's a formality from what I've heard. Just paperwork and making sure all the money, the dollars and cents all fit from a cap perspective."
- David Pagnotta
Pagnotta goes on to say that Isles GM Lou Lamoriello is also working on some "internal housekeeping." He references the contracts for both Noah Dobson, Alexander Romanov, and Kieffer Bellows that are being hammered out. Pagnotta states "nothing has been officially signed," meaning contracts may have been agreed to, however, have not been filed yet in order to give Lamoriello salary cap flexibility in the time being in the case that there is an additional move to clear cap space.
Pagnotta isn't the NHL's only insider that has heard the Islanders pitched Kadri a seven-year contract. On the latest episode of the DFO Rundown Podcast, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff states he's heard the same thing, and even went as far as to shed light on the possible average annual value:
"I think (the Islanders) put an offer on the table for Kadri. Other teams have told me they believe it's in the 7x7 range."
- Frank Seravalli
Seravalli did go on to say he thinks that it's a bit "premature" that the Islanders and Kadri have a deal locked in place, however, the plethora of reports from credible sources stating that the marriage is all but confirmed is a bit overwhelming. In Lamoriello's world, we know he ensures that his business stays close to his chest, therefore the notion that the signing is "premature" could be nothing more than a smokescreen from Kadri's camp in order to meet Lamoriello's standard of doing business.
So, the Islanders' deal for Kadri appears to be 7x$7 million. The soon-to-be 32-year-old center signed his last contract with Lamoriello when they were both members of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. Kadri's last deal came in at 6x$4.5 million. Kadri is coming off a 28-goal, 87-point season with the Colorado Avalanche and hoisted the Stanley Cup on June 26th, helping the Avs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. It now appears the Islanders are adding the Stanley Cup champion on a long-term contract and it's now become a matter of "when," rather than "if."
Islanders: Nazem Kadri has always been Lou Lamoriello's guy. dark. Next