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Islanders: Three reasons Mathew Barzal won’t be drafted in Seattle expansion

By Michel Anderson

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JANUARY 24: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders poses for a portrait ahead of the 2020 NHL All-Star Game at Enterprise Center on January 24, 2020 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JANUARY 24: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders poses for a portrait ahead of the 2020 NHL All-Star Game at Enterprise Center on January 24, 2020 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Lou Lamoriello of the New York Islanders attends 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) /

The Islanders Aren’t Rebuilding

Picks and prospects are great assets to have if a team is building towards the future. But the New York Islanders aren’t building for the future. They are in “win now” mode.

The Islanders locked-in their veteran core just this past offseason to long-term deals. Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, and Jordan Eberle were all re-upped for at least another five years.

They also already have a young talented nucleus in Mathew Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier, and Noah Dobson already at the NHL level.

I know the Islanders aren’t Stanley Cup favorites at the moment, but they’re the fifth-best team by record currently and are on pace for yet another 100+ point season. Their window to win is open and will very well still be open at the end of the 2020-21 season when the expansion draft happens.

The present is great for the New York Islanders and there is no reason to think that the possibility of acquiring picks and maybe some prospects are going to be enough for Lou Lamoriello to let Seattle pick Barzal in the expansion draft.

If it really gets the point where the Islanders no longer want Mathew Barzal, effectively trading him to an expansion team isn’t going to be the right avenue. Of course, that’s assuming he wants to leave in the first place.

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