Cizikas: 'I Want to Retire an Islander'

There's not a lot of subtlety when it comes to Casey Cizikas.
If he's on the ice, it's 100% effort all time, crashing, banging and setting a franticly energetic pace. If he's happy, he wears a big smile. Even when he comes off the ice for warmups, he skates as fast as he can and jumps into the open hallway.
So, when Cizikas talks about wanting to be a New York Islander for life, he doesn't leave any ambiguity, or lack any enthusiasm.

"Long Island is my home and will always be my home," Cizikas said. "There was nowhere else I wanted to be, and I want to retire an Islander."
Cizikas'
multi-year deal was announced on Wednesday
, along with multi-year deals for Anthony Beauvillier, Kyle Palmieri and Ilya Sorokin. That wasn't necessarily a guarantee after the 2021 playoffs, but Cizikas' desire to return, as well as the team's desire to preserve its identity line, allowed the two sides to come together. Cizikas said he called linemates Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck immediately after informing his family about the deal.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous at the start," Cizikas said. "But it didn't take long for us to figure out what was going to happen. The talks between myself, my agent and President and GM] Lou [Lamoriello
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Retaining Cizikas was a big part of keeping continuity in the Islanders lineup. While defenseman Nick Leddy was dealt to Detroit and Jordan Eberle was selected by Seattle in the Expansion Draft, the Islanders have preserved their center depth by re-signing Cizikas. The center was second on the Islanders with a 53.2 FOW% in the regular season and led the team with a 61.2 FOW% in the playoffs. Cizikas and Clutterbuck also make up the Islanders go-to penalty killing forwards.
Cizikas' deal makes him the latest homegrown Islander to stick around long term, following Adam Pelech's eight-year extension earlier this summer, plus long-term deals for captain Anders Lee and Brock Nelson in the two summers prior. Josh Bailey is entering his 14th season with the club, while Martin and Clutterbuck have played over 600 and 500 games with the Islanders, respectively. Cizikas is currently the fourth-longest tenured Islander on the active roster (590 games) and 21st all time on the franchise's games played list. Cizikas could finish as high as 11th by the end of the 2021-22 season.
It's further reflection of the culture change the Islanders have undergone since Cizikas was drafted in 2009, when the Island had a more transient reputation. Cizikas is both proud of the fact that he played a role in helping change the perception and for the bright future ahead, which includes opening up UBS Arena.
"The way this organization has changed, guys wanting to stay, guys wanting to come back and play just shows, how close of a group we are and how much we mean to each other," Cizikas said. "That's the biggest thing for me going through this period, I didn't want to play with anyone but these guys, these guys are my family, I've created a lot of friendships that will last a lifetime."
And Cizikas being Cizikas, he summarized his feelings directly and bluntly.
"I'm going to die an Islander," Cizikas said. "That's the way to put it."