Islanders ink RFAs Dobson, Romanov, Bellows

The New York Islanders took care of business with three restricted free agents on Monday, signing defensemen Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov and forward Kieffer Bellows to new contracts.

Dobson and Romanov agreed to three-year deals, while Bellows' pact is for one season. The financial terms of the contracts weren't disclosed, but Dobson's contract pays $4 million per season, per The Athletic's Kevin Kurz. Romanov's deal carries an average annual value of $2.5 million, while Bellows' is worth $1.2 million, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.

The Islanders had $11.1 million in cap space before the signings, according to Cap Friendly. New York has had a quiet offseason aside from naming Lane Lambert as head coach. The club was heavily linked to prized free agents Johnny Gaudreau and Nazem Kadri but was unable to secure a deal for either player.

Dobson's new contract is the most notable of the three. The 22-year-old is coming off a breakout season in which he set career highs in games played (80), points (51), and average ice time (21:28). The Islanders drafted Dobson 12th overall in 2018.

(Source: Evolving-Hockey)

The Islanders acquired Romanov at July's draft for the 13th overall pick. Romanov was a second-round pick of the Canadiens in 2018 and has collected 19 points in 133 games.

Bellows was drafted 19th overall in 2016 but hasn't made the impact expected of a top prospect. The 24-year-old has only appeared in 67 NHL games, racking up 25 points.

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