Islanders: Three questions leading into the trade deadline

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UNIONDALE, NEW YORK – JANUARY 14: Josh Bailey #12 of the New York Islanders celebrates his goal at 3:59 of the first period against the Detroit Red Wings at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum on January 14, 2020 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

With the trade deadline coming up, the New York Islanders are hopefully going to try and bring a goal scorer. Here’s three questions about that quest as we approach the trade deadline.

An 8-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings looks great, but it changes nothing for the New York Islanders as they approach the trade deadline. Even with that flurry of offense (against the worst team in the NHL) the Isles still have the same needs from before the blowout.

They. Need. Scoring.

With those eight goals against the Red Wings, the Islanders rank 22nd in goals-for in all situations and 23rd in goals-for at 5on5. Only the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames have scored fewer goals from a playoff position than the Islanders.

The Islanders clearly need a goal scorer, but clearly, they won’t be the only team looking to add scoring at the trade deadline. The Stars and Flames are in the exact same boat.

Lou Lamoriello hasn’t done much to tinker with the roster since he got here in the summer of 2018. He’s called up kids like Michael Dal Colle or Noah Dobson and brought in some bottom-six guys in free agency like Tom Kuhnhackl and Leo Komarov. Through the trade market, he brought Matt Martin for AHL goalie Eamon McAdams.

Lou has retooled the bottom tier of the roster, but it’s the top end that now needs his attention.

So as we approach the trade deadline here are three questions that need to be answered.

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) /

How aggressive will Lou be?

We’ve heard Lou kicked the can on Mark Stone at last year’s trade deadline. But he didn’t decide to give the Ottawa Senators what they were asking for their star player. Based on what Ottawa got from Vegas you’d have to think Dobson was the player the Isles would have to give up. I’m glad Lou said no.

But what about now? How aggressive will Lamoriello be in his quest to land a goal scorer?

His team (typically) operates with surgical precision in the defensive end and they have been incredibly successful for it. They’ve gone 76-40-11 for 163 points since Lou was hired by the Islanders. That’s good for the fifth-best record in the NHL.

But in order to become the cream of the crop and attain “contender” or “favorites” status, the Islanders need help up front. Lou obviously knows this. That’s why he went all-in on Artemi Panarin during free agency this past summer. He knows his team is one star-player away from being an elite team in the NHL.

So will he show that same aggressiveness at the trade deadline?

Will he be willing to part with some of his future in order to bolster the squad today? And how much of the future is he ready to part with?

The Islanders first-round pick in 2020 is certainly in play, but what prospects are in play for Lou? Oliver Wahlstrom is at the top of the Islanders prospects depth chart. Behind him are Kieffer Bellows, Otto Koivula, Bode Wilde, Jakub Skarek, and maybe even Ilya Sorokin. That’s a lot of ammunition to land a star player.

How much of that prospect pool is Lou willing to part with for an immediate return even if it’s a rental?

How aggressive Lou is going to depend on who’s available at the trade deadline.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – JUNE 22: (L-R) Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello of the New Your Islanders attend the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena on June 22, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Will there be enough sellers?

The supply in this year’s trade deadline market is weak. And that’s because the number of sellers is quite low. The teams well out of the playoff race include the Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, and New Jersey Devils.

Most of those teams aren’t loaded with top-end talent looking for a lifeline out of town. Most of them have already been stripped of all of their top-end talent in prior seasons.

So why are there so few sellers?

We’re still just over a month away from the February 24 trade deadline so there are still a number of teams still “in it”.

Out in the Western Conference, the San Jose Sharks are third from the bottom and are only eight points out of a wild card spot. The Pacific Division specifically, is wide open. The Vegas Golden Knights are the fourth-ranked team in the division but are three points out of first.

In the Eastern Conference, four teams are six points out of a wild card spot (Columbus, Florida, Buffalo, and the Rangers.) The Montreal Canadiens who are, at the time of writing, seven points out of a wild card spot acquired Ilya Kovalchuk leading up to the trade deadline, so who knows if they still think they’re in it.

With so much parity in this league and with loser points keeping teams closer to the playoff picture than out of it, the number of sellers might just remain as short as it is now. Leaving the trade deadline pretty baren.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 13: Jean-Gabriel Pageau #44 of the Ottawa Senators celebrates his hat trick in the third period after he scored an empty net goal against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on November 13, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.The Ottawa Senators defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Who’s available?

The list of sellers at the trade deadline isn’t yet complete. Because of that there isn’t much available out there on the trade market.

On The Athletic’s 27-player Trade Deadline Big Board (subscription required) the number one player is Chris Kreider. Kreider is a fine top-six player, but he isn’t a star player.

Going through the list there isn’t anyone on the list that gets me excited or thinking that the New York Islanders need to acquire the player. The one player that has most of Isles fans excited about is Jean-Gabriel Pageau, but who knows if he’s actually available.

The Ottawa Senators will be making contract offers to the UFAs they plan on keeping soon that includes Jean-Gabriel Pageau. The Ottawa-area native is a fan favorite and having a career year. For a team desperate for some good PR, keeping JG Pageau would be one heck of a good PR move.

That’s one of the desirable targets on the list that likely off the board. That leaves very little for Lou Lamoriello to acquire. And certainly nothing in the way of top-tier talent.

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If Lou is going to bring someone in via trade it’s likely not going to be a top-end guy but someone who can slot into a top-six role. I know that’s better than nothing, so long as the costs can remain low. With the way the market is shaping, I’m not sure the costs can stay low with so few players out there to satisfy the demand.

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