New York Islanders Lou Lamoriello is Big Game Hunter at Trade Deadline

When it comes to the trade deadline, New York Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello likes to bring in big-name players at the NHL trade deadline.

They find themselves in an unexpected position. The New York Islanders start off the second half of the 2018-19 season at the top of the Metropolitan Division with a three-point cushion and a game in hand on almost every team in the division.

With the playoffs almost a guarantee at this point, the New York Islanders will be approaching the NHL trade deadline as buyers rather than the sellers that most envisioned at the start of the 2018-19 season. With that new status, there comes a number of rumors as to what GM Lou Lamoriello might do with 24 days to go before the trade deadline.

It’s clear that the New York Islanders should use the trade deadline to acquire talent like pending free agents Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, or Mark Stone. But with Garth Snow at the helm for 12 years, Islanders fans aren’t used to seeing big-name acquisitions at the deadline.

But as we know Lou Lamoriello isn’t Garth Snow. Lou likes to bring in big names at the deadline.

Big Name Hunter

Go through Lou Lamoriello’s trade history as a GM and you’ll see the number of deadline day (and deadline-ish day) trades he’s made for big-name players over the years.

As GM of the New Jersey Devils, he brought in the likes of Peter Stastny*, Dave Andreychuk, Phil Housley, Doug Gilmour, Alex Mogilny*, Vladimir Malakhov, Viktor Kozlov, and Joe Nieuwendyk* in and around the NHL trade deadline. Housley and Gilmour were done about a month from the trade deadline.

(* denotes a deal done on trade deadline day)

It’s not to say that all of these players were traded for at the pinnacle of their careers, but they remain a big name that was meant to bring a big presence to the team.

It’s entirely possible that Lou Lamoriello goes the conservative route and brings in a veteran defenseman to give the Islanders options for the playoffs, a-la Brandon Davidson. It’s also possible, based on his history that he brings in a big name at the trade deadline.

And unlike previous seasons, the New York Islanders have that ‘new car smell’ about them. It’s a combination of new management mixed with unquestionable success both in the past and the present. And it’s inviting.

Players like Duchene, Panarin, or Stone would have previously looked at a team like the New York Islanders and scoffed, even if they were in a playoff position. But the appeal of the franchise has to be at an all-time high. With ownership pulling all the right string and with the team being as successful as they are players have to be enticed.

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So if Lou comes calling for any of the big names (and I’m sure he will) and if he puts a decent enough package in front of their GM I doubt that any of those big name players refuse to come.