New York Islanders: Looking Back At Griffin Reinhart Trade

Griffin Reinhart is headed to the KHL. The New York Islanders former fourth overall pick’s best contribution to this team was getting traded for two picks.

Griffin Reinhart has signed a single-year deal with the Kulun Red Star of the KHL. Likely bringing an end to the NHL career of the New York Islanders fourth-overall pick in 2012. Reinhart was supposed to be a piece of the core, but instead, his greatest contribution was getting traded.

In 2012, the New York Islanders selected defenseman Griffin Reinhart at the NHL entry draft. Coming off a 36 point season with the Edmonton Oil Kings, who finished in first and won the WHL championship, the Islanders thought they were getting a stable defenseman for their rebuild.

At that point, the Islanders had already drafted center John Tavares first-overall in 2009, right-winger Nino Niedereitter fifth-overall in 2010, and then center Ryan Strome fifth-overall in 2011. Adding Reinhart should have completed the set for the rebuild.

As we all know, it didn’t.

Thanks For Getting Traded

By the 2015 draft, Griffin Reinhart had played eight regular-season NHL games and a single playoff appearance for the New York Islanders. He clearly wasn’t going to be the defensemen the Islanders thought they were drafting.

But at the draft, where the Islanders didn’t have a first-round pick, they found a team that was looking for a defenseman.

The Islanders and Edmonton Oilers agreed on a trade where the Oilers would receive Griffin Reinhart while the Islanders would receive the Oilers 16th overall pick in the 2015 draft and second-round pick also in the 2015 draft.

After packaging that second-round pick with another second-round pick the Islanders already had, they were able to pull the 28th overall pick out of Tampa. So, for Griffin Reinhart and a second-round pick, the Islanders got the 16th and 28th overall pick in the 2015 draft.

Those picks turned into Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier.

A Calder Trophy-winning center who already has Mitch Marner levels of production in Mathew Barzal. And a winger who is on pace for a 60 point season in Anthony Beauvillier.

Griffin Reinhart wasn’t part of the Islanders rebuild when he was drafted, but he would play a decisive role in the Islanders “rebuild” just a few years later, by getting traded away.

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With NHL stops in Edmonton after the trade and then with the Vegas Golden Knights after getting picked up in the expansion draft, it didn’t work out for Griffin Reinhart in the NHL. Hopefully, his stop in the KHL proves to be more productive for him.