| Nick Obergan. 29th January, 2011 - 11:56 pm
 John Tavares will have Matt Moulson beside him for an additional three seasons.
The New York Islanders, an organization used to operating without much fan fare, completed a very under-the-radar extension this week for forward Matt Moulson.
Terms of the deal for the pending unrestricted free agent: three-years, $9.4M, with an annual cap hit of $3,133,133. The 27-year-old, who earns $2.45M this season, will earn increasing salaries of $2.5M, $3M, $3.9M within the contract.
While this seems like a minor transaction, it actually holds a much greater importance than many realize. For the Isles, this isn?t just about keeping Moulson on their roster for three more years; this is about finally making a small stand in the industry by showing a willingness to spend money to keep young players in Long Island.
As a franchise, the Islanders have made numerous questionable contract decisions over the last two decades, such as Alexei Yashin?s 10-year/$87M contract and later his buyout, along with Rick DiPietro?s 15-year/$67.5M contract. They have also traded away countless contributing players, particularly younger ones (Zdeno Chara, Roberto Luongo, the second-overall pick in 2001 that turned into Jason Spezza, Wade Redden, Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan McCabe, Robert Nilsson).
Much of the blame should be shared between management and a penny-pinching owner (Charles Wang) who refuses to hire and/or pay for established head coaches to properly develop players and a system needed to succeed. But the Moulson extension sheds a small bright light on a potential change in course. Many feared that the young nucleus that GM Garth Snow was building wouldn?t grow together because centrepiece John Tavares, Kyle Okposo and others wouldn?t be around past their entry-level contracts.
But signing Moulson, who had 30-goals last year, and not letting him walk in free agency, provides a glimpse of hope that Snow will be able to keep players on Long Island. He likely paid above market value for a player who had only one quality NHL season since being drafted 263rd overall in the 2003 Draft, but he also didn?t go completely overboard (market value for a one-dimensional goal scorer would probably be closer to a $2M cap hit than $3M).
This season, Moulson (17-12-29, -13) is on pace for 28 goals and a career-high 21 assists and 49 points. He has found a very nice fit playing alongside the dynamic Tavares, and if the two can continue to build a great chemistry it would greatly increase the franchise?s ability to retain Tavares for the long term.
On top of that, it shows a willingness by Moulson to play for a franchise that is otherwise seen as a less-than-desirable location. This is only one small step in repairing the image of the Islanders? organization, but it is a very positive first step for a franchise that has lacked success for two decades.
Grade for Islanders: A
Grade for Moulson: A-
Nick is RealGM?s NHL Feature Writer. You can reach him by email nick.obergan@realgm.com or on twitter @NickObergan
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