Islanders Garth Snow’s Best Trade Are Ho-Sang & Beau

This has not been an easy season for the New York Islanders fanbase. Some ups but also many downs. This article is one of hope for the future for Islander Country. Yours truly will break down what could be Garth Snow’s two best trades.

It is very much up in the air if Garth Snow will be the New York Islanders General Manager after this season. That decision lies in the hands of Scott Malkin and Jonathan Ledecky. But one of Snow’s best moves has been under the radar trades.

When one says give me Garth’s two best trades, an automatic response would be to go to the acquisitions of Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy. Makes sense. Both players are core guys on the Islanders blue line.

For Boychuk, the Islanders traded away second-round draft picks in 2015 and 2016. Considering Boychuk was slated to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of that season, the price was not cheap. At the time many prognosticators believed Boychuk would only be on the Islanders for one season.

In terms of Leddy, the Islanders gave up 2012 second round pick, defenseman Ville Pokka (34th overall), Anders Nilsson, and T.J. Brennan. While this is now a huge win for the Isles and could go down as Snow’s best trade. Remember at the time Leddy had a lot of rough edges and Pokka was considered a very strong prospect.

New York Islanders

Then we get to Mathew Barzal. The Islanders entered the 2015 draft without a pick in the first two rounds. Snow moved top prospect Griffin Reinhart to Edmonton for the 16th and 33rd overall picks.

The Islanders did not hesitate to make the move when Barzal was still on the board when the 16th pick came up.

While Reinhart has not developed, at the time he was considered a top prospect and not far away from the NHL. In the recent Hockey News Future Watch issue, they list Barzal as the 8th best prospect in the sport.

Ho-Sang & Beau

Now, we get to what could be Garth’s two best trades. While Josh Ho-Sang and Anthony Beauvillier were first-round picks, many Islander fans forget those picks were acquired via trade.

The similarities in both deals are uncanny. At the 2014 draft, the Islanders traded the 35th and 57th overall picks (both second round) to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 28th overall selection (1st round). The Islanders selected Ho-Sang.

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At the 2015 draft, the Islanders traded the 33rd and 72nd overall picks (2nd & 3rd round) to the Lightning for the 28th overall (1st round). The Islanders selected Beauvillier.

While Beauvillier has been up and down this year, overall he has had a solid rookie year, especially when you consider he is just 19 years of age. He looks like a sure bet to be a top-six forward for the Islanders over the next decade.

Ho-Sang however, has the potential to be an impact player with his skills and speed. The Islander fans have already seen that on display since his recent call-up.

When Ho-Sang was drafted many scouts said this was a boom or bust pick. Well if Ho-Sang was a stock on the market he would be pointing strongly as a booming investment.

When you consider how little Snow had to give up to acquire the draft slots necessary to land both players, these deals have a chance to be a home run and Garth’s best deals.

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It very well could be time for Garth Snow to go as GM of the Islanders and rightfully so. However, the draft day acquisitions of Ho-Sang and Beauvillier could have a huge impact on this organization moving forward.