New York Islanders Could Target Erik Karlsson

The New York Islanders are trying to take their play to the next level. It’s possible the Ottawa Senators could put their franchise player on the trade market. The Islanders could target Erik Karlsson.

Erik Karlsson to the New York Islanders is a pipe-dream you say. Rumblings out of Ottawa are the dynamic defenseman could be moved between now and the February 26th trade deadline. The Isles are an excellent trade partner for the Senators.

Ottawa Perspective

If Ottawa is going to engage in serious trade talks for Karlsson they want to deal with an organization that is rich in young talent and upcoming draft picks. The Isles fit that bill.

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In terms of young NHLers, the Isles could move any of the following players in a Karlsson deal not named Mathew Barzal: Anthony Beauvillier, Josh Ho-Sang, Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech, and Ryan Pulock. In terms of prospects, the Isles have Kiefer Bellows, Robin Salo, Linus Soderstrom, Devon Toews, and Mitchell Vande Sompel in their pipeline.

It doesn’t stop there as the Isles have two selections in both the first and second rounds in the deep upcoming 2018 NHL Draft (have their own plus Calgary’s). This is the kind of team Ottawa wants to trade within a Karlsson deal.

Isles Perspective

From an Islander perspective why wouldn’t they seriously entertain the possibility of adding Karlsson to their team? It comes down to what the cost would be.

If the Isles add Karlsson and don’t significantly alter their roster one could argue they would be on equal footing with any other club in the pursuit of being Stanley Cup this season. The Isles would have two unbelievable forward and defense lines if they were able to pull off a Karlsson trade.

The question for Garth Snow and ownership is would they be willing to trade a big package of future assets for Karlsson who is only signed through next season (2018-19).

If you are wondering about the Isles fitting Karlsson under the cap they simply could include Nikolai Kulemin in the deal (unrestricted free agent at the end of the season).

Have to figure it would take at minimum four, maybe five future assets to bring Karlsson to the Isles.

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There is no doubt the Isles should seriously engage Ottawa in trade talks. They should be aggressive and be willing to cash in some of their future chips. However, if the cost for Karlsson is the sun, moon, and stars they should pass.