Sansided
Eyes On Isles
Home/Islanders All Time Lists

New York Islanders Top 10 Best Trades in Team History

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 06: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders skates out to play against the Nashville Predators at the Barclays Center on October 06, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Predators defeated the Islanders 4-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 06: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders skates out to play against the Nashville Predators at the Barclays Center on October 06, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Predators defeated the Islanders 4-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 11
Next
new york islanders
UNIONDALE, NY – MARCH 24: Hall of Fame member Pat Lafontaine is honored prior to the game between the New York Islanders and the Minnesota Wild at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on March 24, 2015 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Pat LaFontaine Is Drafted

Pat LaFontaine was drafted the third overall by the New York Islanders in the 1983 NHL draft. For those keeping track, the New York Islanders were the Stanley Cup champions (the fourth time in a row) that year too.

How does a Stanley Cup champion earn a third overall selection at the draft? Make a trade with a team that’s been historically dreadful for a few good spare parts.

At the start of the 1981 NHL season, Islanders GM Bill Torrey sent both Dave Cameron and Bob Lorimer to the Colorado Rockies. An expansion team from 1974 that relocated to Denver the following year.

In 1981-82 the Rockies were coming off their second best season in franchise history with 57 points. They wanted to improve on that and getting one good blueliner in Bob Lorimer and a youngster with promise in Dave Cameron could help that.

Except that it didn’t.

The Rockies finished the 1981-82 season with 49 points and were promptly relocated to New Jersey, where they began life as the Devils. In 1982-83 they weren’t any better. Now the Devils finished with a 17-49-14 record for 48 points.

And the Islanders were left holding that first round pick. They took future Hall of Fame player Pat LaFontaine. A player that would go on to score 1,013 points in only 865 NHL games.

facebooktwitterreddit