The Islanders are currently only fielding a 22-man roster (projected), given their lack of cap space for 23, the max.
So, without having to move on from a contract, which would weaken the team for 2024-25 while looking more toward the near future, there's a creative way for Lamoriello to create additional cap space.
And that's through Long-Term Injured Reserve contracts.
Per PuckPedia's definition , LTIR qualifies for players who will miss at least 10 games and 24 days of an NHL campaign.
Most importantly, the site states, "When a player is on LTIR, a team may exceed the salary cap," although the money doesn't necessarily get removed from the team's payroll.
As we saw when the Islanders placed defenseman Scott Mayfield on LTIR a few days before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, they gave themselves an additional $3.5 million in cap space (can go over whatever LTIR player’s cap hit is).
Although a player on LTIR doesn't count against the roster, their contracts still remain in play for potential trades, even for players with career-ending injuries who have yet to officially retire.
There are occasions where teams can trade for dead cap hits to remain compliant.
The former Arizona Coyotes was a prime example, with the Jakub Voracek, Shea Weber, and Pavel Datsyuk trades in 2023.
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Datsyuk only had one year remaining on his contract at the time of the trade, while Voracek just came off their books this summer.
Weber (LTIR) is on the books through 2025-26.
While the move may not be the most popular for fans around the league, see the Vegas Golden Knights' recent Trade Deadlines, it's still legal by the letter of the law.
In fact, the Islanders arguably benefited from it in 2021 when Johnny Boychuk's injury allowed the team to sign Mathew Barzal to a restricted free-agent deal.
The team later brought in Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, and Braydon Coburn ahead of the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline before moving Boychuk to the Buffalo Sabres ahead of the 2021-22 season, with both teams aware that he'd never play in the NHL again.
Now, NHL teams who need cap space aren't going to part ways with their LTIR players, but some teams may just be looking to get the contract off the books.
The Islanders aren't financially in a place where they can afford to bring on a player who will be back healthy anytime soon.
Names like Carey Price, Weber, Torey Krug, Jake Muzzin, Ryan Ellis, and former Islanders goalie Robin Lehner come to mind as players who will not play in 2024-25. Price, Weber, and Lehner have essentially retired at this point.
Until the CBA is reworked following the 2025-26 season, using LTIR as a cap-saving loophole has become a major issue in the NHL, but it is a legal route that the Islanders can take if an opportunity presents itself.
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