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New York Islanders Three Early Possible Trade Partners

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: Lou Lamoriello of the New York Islanders prior to the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: Lou Lamoriello of the New York Islanders prior to the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 16: Brayden Schenn #10 of the St. Louis Blues celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring a second-period goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during their game at T-Mobile Arena on November 16, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 16: Brayden Schenn #10 of the St. Louis Blues celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring a second-period goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during their game at T-Mobile Arena on November 16, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

St. Louis Blues

The Blues made big waves this offseason when they acquired Ryan O’Reilly via trade from the Buffalo Sabres then landing Tyler Bozak in free agency. They looked like they’d be a force in the Central Division this season.

That hasn’t happened. Just like the Los Angeles Kings, the St. Louis Blues fired their head coach recently. They currently sit with an 8-11-3 record for 19 points and seven points out of a playoff position.

The Blues need to get their season back on track while they’re still within sight of the other teams in the strong Central Division. A trade might help. The Blues might also want to take up the opportunity to free up some cap space.

Their current cap hit is just north of $79 million. They’ve been allowed to go over the cap ceiling thanks to Jaden Schwartz and his $5.35 million deal placed on LTIR.

But with six players with some form of trade protection that shortens the list of likely targets the Islanders can go after.

Target:

Ideally, Vladimir Tarasenko is the guy you want. He doesn’t have any trade protection until next season. But there’s no chance GM Doug Armstrong parts with a player as good as Tarasenko.

Brayden Schenn (C,LW)

Brayden Schenn is a good centerman that the Islanders could use. He’s still a good player for St. Louis with 13 points in 18 games, but with the way the season is going for the Blues they need to do something and Schenn is one of the few valuable assets that has no trade protection that could be moved.

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