New York Islanders On SI

NY Islanders Sign Malte Gustafsson To Entry-Level Contract

Malte Gustafsson is officially under contract with the New York Islanders.

Kenneth Teape

Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Malte Gustafsson reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and New York Islanders player Matthew Schaefer after being selected with the thirteenth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Islanders at KeyBank Center.
Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Malte Gustafsson reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and New York Islanders player Matthew Schaefer after being selected with the thirteenth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Islanders at KeyBank Center. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
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With the No. 13 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the New York Islanders selected defenseman Malte Gustafsson.

And now, he is part of the franchise, with the two sides making things official with a deal. As shared by the team’s official account on X, Gustafsson has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Islanders.

As shared by PuckPedia on X, the deal carries a cap hit of $1.075 million with an annual average of $1.575 million. The first year of the deal includes a $102,500 signing bonus, a $500,000 ‘A’ Performance Bonus and a $922,500 salary for the NHL. If he is in the AHL, he will earn $87,5000.

That yearly salary will rise by about $40,000 in Year 2 and Year 3 on the NHL salary and signing bonus, with the other Year 1 totals remaining the same.

Islanders sign Malte Gustafsson to three-year entry-level contract

Malte Gustafsson reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and New York Islanders player Matthew Schaefer.
Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Malte Gustafsson reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and New York Islanders player Matthew Schaefer after being selected with the thirteenth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Islanders at KeyBank Center. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gustafsson was one of several youngsters who participated in the team’s development camp right after the draft concluded. Despite some early jitters, he eventually found his comfort zone and showcased the talent that led to New York using its first-round pick on him.

Islanders fans can envision a long-term blueline pairing of Gustafsson and Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft who had a record-setting rookie campaign at 18 years old, unanimously earning the Calder Trophy.

The steadiness of Gustafsson’s game, which leans more toward a defensive impact, fits well alongside the offensively dynamic Schaefer. While his ceiling may not be very high offensively, the Swedish defenseman should have a long career in the NHL as a two-way performer.

Naturally, now that an entry-level contract has been signed, people will wonder what this means for Gustafsson, who already signed a one-year extension to return to HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League.

He is expected to develop there for the 2026-27 season, but that doesn’t mean New York will lose a year on his entry-level contract. As long as Gustafsson doesn’t appear in 10 or more NHL games, his contract will slide to next year.

Essentially, that means the Islanders aren’t burning a year on his entry-level contract by signing him now despite already planning to remain in Sweden for one more season. Depending on when his 2026-27 campaign with HV71 ends, he could make appearances within the organization down the stretch, similarly to what New York did with Victor Eklund this past season.

Should he remain under the 10 games played threshold, the entry-level contract will start tolling during the 2027-28 campaign.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

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