On the NHL’s trade deadline day, the New York Islanders are in playoff position but far from contender position. They have a Vezina candidate (favorite?) goalie and a Calder favorite who have driven an exciting season above expectations. Their power play is abysmal, and their overall team defense often leaves us scratching our head. They have a couple of older UFAs who are very much contributing to where they are, including a longtime captain who is climbing the franchise’s games played and goal list.
There is value to a playoff appearance, both financially and culturally. And maybe they can get there without making any other changes. (They added Ondrej Palat and Carson Soucy before the Olympic break, who fall into the “veterans settling rotating-cast positions” category.)
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GM Mathieu Darche is surely balancing all of this as the marketplace hits its final hours. The Isles certainly shouldn’t be big-game hunting unless there are prime players with term, but then what is the cost of that?
Two names that keep coming up around the league and in fan debates Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, both in the first half of long-term deals with full no-trade protection. The Blues are reportedly asking exorbitant prices for each, and that seems to be the point: They don’t need to trade either — it’s not a firesale — so they are in “make me an offer I can’t refuse” mode. Sounds like they went down that road with the Sabres on multiple players, including Colton Parayko (for a first and last summer’s 9th overall pick), and the player blocked the trade anyway.
Unless the Blues shift their approach in fallout or re-evaluation of what’s happening there, I can’t see a package from the Islanders that makes sense for them and meets the Blues’ price. The Isles still need to think long term, not this spring, so there may be opportunities to revisit a bigger acquisition this summer.
If they weren’t in playoff position — truly in position, not just chasing in the wild card bubble — it would be easy to conclude they should sell Anders Lee and J-G Pageau. But the team’s play (thanks, Ilya and Schaef!) has put them in a different position. Tere’s no indication either has been on the market this season, and it’s completely defensible for a team competing in playoff position with 19 games to go to keep two key players rather than deflate the roster.
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Islanders News
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About last night: Ugly enough to make you doubt whether this team will, in the end, reach the postseason. Hopefully it was and remains their worst showing of the season. [LHH | Newsday | Post]
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Trade deadline? Yeah, there are jitters. [Newsday]
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The Devils put Max Tsyplakov (and two others) on waivers. He continued to get the same amount of ice time and same (lack of) production, with zero points in nine games, 7-9 minutes per night. [Devils]
Elsewhere
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In a bit of a shock and a handsome return, the Capitals send John Carlson to Anaheim. [NHL]
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Yet another Luke Schenn trade: He and Logan Stanley head from Winnipeg to Buffalo. [NHL]
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David Perron returns to the Red Wings…maybe: The Senators get a 4th if the injured winger plays a game, and it’s a 2nd if he appears in half their playoff games through two rounds. [Sportsnet]
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Ottawa, meanwhile, took Warren Foegele from the Kings. [CP]
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38-year-old Jeff Petry goes from Florida to Minnesota for a 7th-round pick, the universal currency of “we just want you to leave.” [NHL]
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How many times have we seen this before: Evgeni Malkin losing his cool. This time he gets an ejection for slashing Rasmus Dahlin — playing the role of Travis Hamonic in Malkin’s nightmares — in the head. [Sportsnet]
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