New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have signed Andrew Ladd to a colossal deal.

The Isles entered free agency needing a forward to replace Kyle Okposo, and acquired one of the best available.

Virtually as soon as the clock struck for the opening of the signing period, the Isles inked former Blackhawks, Thrashers and Jets forward Andrew Ladd to a 7-year deal worth $5.5 million per, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday.

Ladd, 30, has good size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) and scoring ability. He’s tough and has the ability to dish out solid hits. He’s a great team player with leadership skills and an impressive resume. Additionally, he slots well with highly skilled linemates, so with both Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo leaving elsewhere, John Tavares will need another winger.

The caveats revolve around his inconsistency on the score sheet and his lack of creativity in the offensive zone. He’ll post solid numbers, but isn’t an elite playmaker whatsoever.

Ladd tallied 25 goals and 21 assists (46 points) with the Chicago Blackhawks last season. He had a 50.6 CF% and 49.8 FF%.

The pact is a big commitment on both ends. While the analysts at NHL Network accurately remarked that he’s a player that would seemingly age well, it’s still a sizeable fidelity on both ends.

As far as the numbers go, it seems that general manager Garth Snow did good. In a market where everybody over-pays, Snow inked Ladd to a relatively inexpensive deal.

The Isles hosted Ladd on the Island last night. It was expected that he would sign, especially after it was reported that Frans Nielsen would be leaving to Detroit.

Justin Weiss is a staff editor at Elite Sports New York, where he covers the New York Islanders and Brooklyn Cyclones. In 2016, he received a Quill Award for Freelance Journalism. He has written for the Long Island Herald, FanSided and YardBarker.