Islanders best player acquired by trade from every NHL team

Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks | Lubomir Visnovsky

At 36 years old by the time he got to the Island, Visnovsky was never the player he was for the Ducks. But in three years for the Islanders, he played 112 games and was a solid defenseman for a franchise that desperately needed the help.

Arizona Coyotes | Brad Isbister

The Islanders got good value in a deal that sent Robert Reichel and two picks to the Coyotes for Brad Isbister and a third-round pick. Reichel would only play 13 games for the Coyotes while Isbister would play 247 games for the Isles and score 135 points.

Isbister would bounce around the league after the Isles but would never hit the same heights he did while he was with the Islanders.

Calgary Flames | Robert Reichel

The Islanders never got that 40 goals and 90 point version of Robert Reichel, but he still produced 140 points in 164 games over three seasons before the Isles shipped him to Arizona (then Phoenix) for Brad Isbister.

Edmonton Oilers: 2015 1st (Mathew Barzal)

What a steal by the Islanders. They sent failed fourth-overall pick, Griffin Reinhart, to Edmonton for the 16th overall pick in 2015 and a 2015 second-round. The Isles would use that 16th overall pick to select Mathew Barzal.

In his first full NHL season, Barzal won the Calder trophy with an incredible 99.15 percent of the votes. He has 207 points in 234 games in his young NHL career and is now the face of the franchise.

Imagine what could have been if Edmonton pulled Connor McDavid and Mathew Barzal in the same draft? Griffin Reinhart is now playing in the KHL.

Los Angeles Kings: Butch Goring

The missing piece of the puzzle; Butch Goring. With Goring in the fold, the Islanders went from Cup hopefuls to four-time Cup champions.

Goring would play 332 regular-season games and score 195 points. In the playoffs, Goring would play 99 games for the Isles and score 68 points. In 1981 he won the Conn Smythe with 20 points in 18 games.

Goring’s number 91 was retired by the Islanders in 2020, that’s how big of an impact he’s had on the franchise.

San Jose Sharks | Tyler Kennedy

The Isles and Sharks have made six trades since the Sharks came into the league in 1991. The best player the Isles pulled was Tyler Kennedy. He played 13 games for the Islanders in 2014-15.

Vancouver Canucks | Dave Scatchard

Dave Scatchard came to the Isles in the December 19, 1999 trade between the Isles and Canucks that sent Felix Potvin to Vancouver for Bill Muckalt, Kevin Weekes, and Scatchard.

Across five seasons with the Islanders, Scatchard scored 168 points in 347 games. He hit a career-high 45 points twice while wearing the Blue and Orange. Something he’d never do in the 312 games outside of the organization.

Vegas Golden Knights | Expansion Draft Considerations

It’s the only deal these two teams have made. Leading up to the Vegas expansion draft, the Isles sent Mikail Grabovsky’s contract, Jake Bischoff, a first-round pick in 2017, and a second-round pick in 2019 so that Vegas would leave certain unprotected players alone.

That unprotected list included Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson, Calvin de Haan, Thomas Hickey and Casey Cizikas.