New York Islanders: Don’t Trade For Blake Comeau, Please

With the injury to New York Islanders forward Nikolai Kulemin, it seems that some on the web believe that the Islanders now have a hole to fill in the roster, and Blake Comeau is the man.

New York Islanders forward Nikolai Kulemin is out for six months as he recovers from surgery. Kulemin sustained an injury in a play at home against the Edmonton Oilers on November 7th.

During a routine play along the boards Oilers Eric Gryba rammed into Kulemin, numbers first. Sending the Russian slamming into the boards. Kulemin got right back up, but he skated right to the bench and didn’t return to the game.

Now that he’s out it seems that the New York Islanders have a hole in their roster that they need to fill. I know. That’s news to me too. And the suggestion by one site is for the Isles to get Blake Comeau.

What Is He Bringing?

According to Mile High Hockey, the New York Islanders should acquire former Islander Blake Comeau to fill the spot vacated by Nikola Kulemin. (I’ll get to whether or not the Isles actually have a hole or not).

In terms of the trade, Mile High Hockey suggests that the Isles can acquire him with a late round pick with the Avs even holding some of Comeau’s $2.4 million salary. Sounds like a great deal.

But why would the Islanders want to pick a player who’s on pace for 41 points with about 14 minutes of ice time? A player who holds a 42.7% Corsi and plays almost three minutes on average for one of the bottom tier penalty kills in the league?

What’s he bringing to the table? Sure that production looks good. But he’s not going to get that type of ice time filling in for Kulemin. And if he’s filling for Kulie he needs to be good on the PK and bring something in terms of possession. Two things he absolutely does not do.

More from Eyes On Isles

• Islanders key to success: Load management with goalies
• Islanders Zdeno Chara trending in the right direction
• Islanders: Semyon Varlamov Deserves Benefit of the Doubt
• Islanders Ilya Sorokin becoming number one goalie
• Islanders Zach Parise Was Quiet in Return to Minnesota

There Is No Hole

And this is all assuming that the Islanders would take the trade. Which they won’t. They have perfectly suitable options already on the roster or in Bridgeport. Options that won’t cost them a late-round pick.

Alan Quine has already stepped into the role. A role he filled perfectly well just last season. Sitting on the fourth line next to Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck is exactly where Quine belongs.

And let’s not forget about Shane Prince. If the Islanders want a guy that can play fourth line minutes and add a bit of offensive flair, Prince is the guy. And with his $850,000 cap hit he’s already cheap.

Next: Isles Three Best Defenders In 2017-18

As far as trade proposals go it’s not a terrible idea. If the New York Islanders had a hole to fill on the roster. But the Islanders don’t. And the options that they do have are perfectly suited for the task.