New York Islanders Could Still Trade Thomas Hickey

The New York Islanders placed defenseman Thomas Hickey on waivers. Why didn’t they trade him instead of sending him to the AHL? A trade can still happen.

Going into training camp, the New York Islanders had seven defensemen on the roster. And that’s without Noah Dobson on the team. With the Isles 12th overall pick form 2018 in the mix, the number of blueliners on the roster went up to eight.

That’s just too many defensemen. Teams usually carry seven defensemen. Naturally, that meant one would have to go. Either through trade or through the waiver wire. Unfortunately, for Thomas Hickey he was the odd man out.

But why did the Islanders send an NHL veteran defenseman who can put up between 20-25 points and is

good at protecting the blueline

? Why didn’t they trade him?

Trade Could Happen

Lou Lamoriello tried to move Hickey (subscription required), but a trade just wasn’t materializing. With a $2.5 million cap hit, it’s easy to see why no one might pick up Thomas Hickey through the waiver wire. Only nine teams in the league can afford Hickey’s $2.5 million AAV.

He’s likely going to clear waivers at noon today. But that doesn’t mean he can’t eventually get traded.

There’s certainly something to be said about having a veteran in the AHL and the $1.425 million in cap space they’ll be able to clear up.

But just because Hickey is moved to the AHL doesn’t mean that he can’t be traded. Look, Hickey alone won’t return much. A veteran defenseman like Hickey can probably only return a late-round pick in the draft.

But if the Islanders were willing to risk losing him for nothing, they’d certainly be willing to gain a draft pick out of any possible trade. A package that also includes a draft pick of their own and perhaps Joshua Ho-Sang could return much more.

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We’ll find out this afternoon if Hickey gets claimed or not. But if he doesn’t don’t think he can’t be traded.