Islanders show faith in Jordan Eberle, but is it a wise investment?

The New York Islanders came out of nowhere to sign pending free agent Jordan Eberle to a five year deal, but is it smart to bet on the inconsistent winger?

The New York Islanders have a busy offseason ahead of them in order to follow up on their surprise over-achievement season, and they’re off to a decent start taking care of business by signing another one of their key free agents.

The Islanders have signed pending unrestricted free agent Jordan Eberle to a five year contract, with a $5.5 million cap hit in each of those seasons. The contract also includes a full no-trade clause for the first two seasons, and a 16-team no-trade list in the final three seasons.

Eberle has spent the last two season with the Islanders after being acquired in a steal of a trade with the Edmonton Oilers in the 2017 offseason, sending Ryan Strome the other way. The move has been an absolute win for the Islanders in the first two seasons, helping give them the offensive depth they needed to compete.

Last season with the Islanders, Eberle did not meet expectations by matching a career low point total with 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 games in 78 games. However, in eight playoff games he redeemed himself and scored four goals and five assists in eight games, becoming one of the key components in their first round sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Islanders are banking heavily on Eberle to bounce back to the production he’s proven to be capable of, and having a new contract with a secure future might be enough of a rejuvenation for him to return to around a 50 point pace, or at very least hitting 40 points like he had the previous six straight seasons. Regardless, the Islanders forward depth has always been a concern, so keeping Eberle around is still a good idea.

Another important detail of this deal is the timing, and if it will interfere with their other plans. The Islanders still have to sign two massive unrestricted free agents to this offseason, including their captain Anders Lee and starting goalie Robin Lehner. Eberle became an afterthought because it was assumed that he would be taken care of after those other two were taken care of, if there was any room left.

Fortunately, Eberle’s down season opened the door for a team friendly deal at $5.5, down $500,000 from his previous six-year contract. If Eberle doesn’t take less than his previous contract, it’s unlikely that a deal gets done, but Eberle clearly being willing to stay with the team at a discount was surely helpful.

After signing Eberle, the Islanders still have $22,246,667 left in cap space to play with for the rest of the offseason. Lee and Lehner have to be the next priorities for the Islanders before turning to free agency, where they’ll need to acquire another top six scorer in order to supplement their offense.

Overall, the Islanders need more from Eberle in order to make the contract worth it, and they need to hope that he isn’t already past his prime at 29 years old. However, it’s a risk they just had to take in order to prevent the team from getting worse. If the Islanders can find a way to keep Lee, Lehner, and add some more offense, then there is no issue with this Eberle deal for them.