New York Islanders Have Three Options At Deadline

Sit Back and Watch the Show

What if there was a better time to make a deal? A time where all teams are going to be panic-stricken to make a deal? What if they just waited for the draft?

The Islanders could just sit back and watch the show unfold at the trade deadline, and do their business on draft day.

Think about it. All 31 GMs will be in attendance to draft the next wave of NHL stars just weeks before the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft occurs. If teams are

If teams are expansion draft compliant or have some assets preventing them from protecting the players they need to protect (looking at you Pittsburgh) then the draft is the perfect day to leverage the market and get a better deal.

Think Colorado is still going to be asking for that laundry list of players if they’ve gone nearly six months with Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog in the shop window? Probably not.

How desperate is Pittsburgh going to be to unload Marc-Andre Fleury so they can protect Matt Murray for the expansion? Maybe the Islanders parlay Pittsburgh’s desperation into a three-way deal with Colorado or Dallas even.

The options are endless because the desperation is going to be palpable at the draft. Get ready Gary Bettman, you’re going to make a number of trips to the podium to announce a trade. Hope the people in Chicago like the Comish.

Next: Enter New Challenger in the Isles Arena Debacle

Personally, I prefer option number three. Just wait for the desperation to set into NHL teams and strike while the iron is hot. Assuming of course that the Islanders have their expansion situation sorted.