The fan-favorite will hold down the team’s elite fourth line for years to come.
The New York Islanders have been suspiciously quiet this offseason, but finally made an announcement on Tuesday. They signed center Casey Cizikas to a six-year deal carrying an AAV of around $2.5 million.
Heard that Casey Cizikas' deal with the #Isles is as @FriedgeHNIC heard last month: Six years at around $2.5 million per.
AAV could be a bit higher, but anything under $3m per is a huge boost for the #Isles and their cap situation. And they have their Identity Line center.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) August 31, 2021
Cizikas is arguably the best defensive fourth line center in hockey and anchors the best fourth line, the Identity Line, in the league.
Much of the Islanders’ success can be attributed to their depth as well as their unique and effective fourth line, on which Cizikas is the best.
Cizikas doesn’t do much scoring: he has 81 goals and 185 points in 590 career games and has scored just 14 points in each of his last two seasons. However, his defensive play makes up for what he lacks offensively.
Casey Cizikas, reportedly signed 6x~$2.5M by NYI, is one of if not the best bottom six defensive centre in the NHL. A lot of term to get that discount though. #Isles pic.twitter.com/1YDhebCmER
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) August 31, 2021
Cizikas will be 36 years old when the deal expires, but he’s a fan-favorite and brings a lot to the table. Many teams are unable to go far because they don’t have Cizikas-esque players, and Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello is aware of this fact.
The term is long, but the value on this contract is quite good. Islanders fans will be excited to see their 4C stick around for six more years.
