The New York Islanders gave their 27-year-old centerman a shiny, new contract on Thursday morning. Here’s what it means for the Philadelphia Flyers.
The New York Islanders made some news on Thursday as they signed forward Brock Nelson to a six-year contract. Reports have stated that the deal between the two will have an Average Annual Value (AAV) of six million dollars per year, which is a steep but deserving price to pay for the 53 point centerman. New York did an obvious good job in keeping one of their key players off of the free agent market, and I commend them for that, but what does this exactly mean for the Philadelphia Flyers going forward in the offseason?
First, it takes a possible name out of the 2019 Free Agency class. General Manager Chuck Fletcher stated that he wants to add a two-way centerman to the team this summer, and even though Nelson isn’t known for his defensive skills, he still could have brought value to Philadelphia. I personally wasn’t a big fan of the fit, though, so I’m not overly upset at seeing him return to the Isles.
My second and last point is that Nelson’s contract may lead to other free agent centermen getting deals similar or even higher than his. I mentioned in this article of my desire for Fletcher to sign Kevin Hayes this offseason, but only if the price is right *cues Price is Right theme music*. Nelson and Hayes have comparable offensive statistics throughout each of their careers, with neither of them reaching the 50 point mark until this past season. Hayes did outscore Nelson by two points during the regular season, can kill penalties, and had better possession metrics at even strength. The difference in skill sets could drive Hayes’ price tag up since he’s more of a two-way type of player, which NHL GMs like to see. I’d be fine with Fletcher signing Hayes to a six or six and a half million AAV contract, but anything higher than that would make me skeptical.
The last thing I want Fletcher to do is grossly overpay a player on the free agent front unless that player is Erik Karlsson because he’s just that good. I get that every free agent gets overpaid but I’d rather see the longtime NHL GM try to swing a trade for a second line center since he has plenty of prospects at his disposal and sign a free agent to fill the third line right wing role, as long as the potential package he’d have to give away isn’t too steep.
Fletcher has to be aggressive come July 1st but also has to be smart, and giving a guy too much money and term would be the opposite of that.