Snow building up: Isles sign Frans Nielsen to 4-year deal, avoid free agency
Frans Nielsen of the New York Islanders finished sixth in the Selke voting last season (even with the New York area boycott over the Chris Botta issue); a considerable distance behind the top 5, but the recognition was still there for one of the NHL's best defensive forwards.
He would have been coveted as a role player at the trade deadline and then again as an unrestricted free agent this summer, which is why re-signing Nielsen was a priority for GM Garth Snow. Via TSN and Bob McKenzie, that's just what he did on Tuesday:
The New York Islanders signed C Frans Nielsen to a four-year contract extension worth a total of $11 million. Nielsen will be paid $2.0 million in the first year of the contract, followed by $2.5 million, $3.0 million, and $3.5 million. The average annual cap hit is $2.75 million.
Nielsen made $525,000 this season, averaging 17:33 TOI and playing in every situation. He'll have the same cap hit as former Islander and fellow defensive stalwart Sean Bergenheim has with the Florida Panthers, who also received a four-year deal last summer.
Garth Snow usually gets a hill of credit and a mountain of grief for the Islanders' plight, taking shrapnel from criticism aimed at ownership's foibles. But here's what he's done in the last year: Signed John Tavares through 2018 at a $5.5 million cap hit; signed Michael Grabner ($3 million) and Kyle Okposo ($2.8 million) through 2016; signed Matt Moulson through 21014 at a $3.133 million cap hit; and now signed Nielsen through 2016.
He's created a solid core for this team through the next several seasons, along with a projected cap space of just under $30 million next summer. The question is if that lineup stability, young core and available funds can finally land a key free agent —preferably on the blue line — to begin transitioning this franchise back into a contender. And if that fails, then will the Islanders package young assets and picks for a player of that ilk under contract?
