Should Darche Extend Kyle Palmieri?

Mathieu Darche takes charge of the New York Islanders at a pivotal time in franchise history. The Islanders desperately need a new path forward, and Darche is the man to guide that ship.

Darche will begin to assemble his own, remaking the Islanders’ front office in the process. Beyond that, he’s got one big decision to make. Should he extend pending unrestricted free agent Kyle Palmieri?

Lou Lamoriello opted to keep Palmieri at the Trade Deadline, signalling his intent to re-sign the forward. Lamoriello and Palmieri were close to an extension, if not outright agreed to. But, as Lamoriello tended to do, he held off on finalizing the deal. Then, the Islanders dismissed Lamoriello at season’s end.

That leaves Palmieri in limbo. He scores at a consistent rate of around 25 goals a season, something few Islanders currently offer.

Regardless, the Islanders need to move on from this core. The question becomes, is Palmieri good enough and worth keeping around, especially for a team that struggles to score goals as it is?

The Argument to Keep Palmieri:

As I began to lay out, Palmieri is a reliable goalscorer. The Islanders simply do not have enough of those. What’s better about Palmieri is his demonstrated ability to play with multiple linemates and in different roles.

After being stapled to Brock Nelson’s wing for most of the year, Palmieri finished the year rotating between playing alongside Bo Horvat or Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

He’s a decent threat on the power play, particularly for a second unit on a good team. He’s well-respected in the room and by Head Coach Patrick Roy, as evidenced by him being named an alternate captain after Nelson’s departure.

For Palmieri, the Islanders are where he’s consistently stated he wants to be. If that’s the case, it’s more than likely he’d be willing to take a bit of a pay cut to make it work. He’s also consistently healthy, playing in 208 consecutive games for the Islanders, including playoff games.

The Argument Against:

Then again, there’s the other side of the coin. The Islanders simply have to change the makeup of this roster. By that alone, maybe it makes sense to move on from Palmieri, even if he is a useful player.

He’s also 34-years-old, making any extension beyond one or two years even riskier. Even with Darche, Palmieri could want a third, or even fourth, year on his deal. The Islanders simply can’t afford to do that, unless the cap hit on the deal is below $4 million per season.

Ultimately, hard decisions need to be made. Darche could set a tone by letting Palmieri walk that nobody’s safe. If Palmieri isn’t willing to take a pay cut from his current salary, even on a two-year deal, Darche can cut bait. Every dollar counts in an aggressive retool.

Final Verdict:

Ultimately, there are simply more reasons to keep Palmieri than not. The main reason people seem to want him to go is based on a desire for change from the roster.

Doing so for that alone would be foolish. You cannot make a purely emotional decision, especially considering the excellent attributes and contributions Palmieri brings. Unless his ask is absurd, keeping the local product and goalscorer home is their best path forward. He’d likely take a cut from his current salary to help out.

There are other ways to dramatically change the core. Moving out veteran defenders like Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, or Adam Pelech is an option. Trading Jean-Gabriel Pageau continues to be an option, especially in a summer where teams are desperate for center help.

Darche should make the best decision for the hockey team, regardless of what perception may say. Yes, the Islanders need to change. But that doesn’t mean shutting out one of the few reliable goal scorers over the last few seasons for New York.