New York Islanders Trade Deadline Deals They Could Have Done

Ryan McDonagh | New York Rangers

The New York Islanders needed a top-four defender. The Islanders needed someone with experience with term still on his deal. The Rangers were looking to offload one. And the Islanders totally had the assets to pull it off.

A first round pick? Deal. The Islanders have two. A conditional second round pick? Deal! The New York Islanders have two. A forward and defensive prospect that aren’t bluechip prospects? Deal. The Islanders have those too! And finally, how about a forty point player in RFA Brock Nelson.

Toss the Rangers the Flames first round-pick, turn that conditional second-round pick into a condition free second (again, Calgary’s). Add Michael Dal Colle, who once was a bluechip prospect but may no longer. Add Mitchell Vande Sompel. And you know what.

I know that the Rangers and Islanders are hated rivals, and hated rivals don’t trade. But the Canadiens and Maple Leafs certainly put that hatred aside. Heck, the Devils and Rangers traded at the deadline.

The Islanders had the assets to make this trade. So why didn’t it work? There were two reasons. The first, McDonagh still had term on his deal. The examples I used for rivals trading with rivals all involved pending UFAs. Both Plekanec (from MTL to TOR) and Grabner (from NYR to NJD) are on expiring deals and not likely to stay.

The Rangers might have been willing to trade an expiring deal, but not a player they’ll have to face when they hope to be competitive.

The last reason is McDonagh himself. With a modified no-trade clause he apparently didn’t want to go to Isles. As is par for the course with anyone with a modified no-trade, regardless of whether they were the captain to our greatest rival.