Islanders Trade Deadline Acquisitions Shine In Game 1

The New York Islanders got a phenomenal performance out of JG Pageau and Andy Greene last night in their Game 1 win over Philadelphia.

At the trade deadline, the New York Islanders acquired two players. Usually, the Isles “stand pat” at the deadline, but this year was a different strategy from Lou Lamoriello as he traded multiple draft picks to improve the 2020 team.

First, on February 16, the Isles traded a 2021 second-round pick and David Quenneville for veteran defenseman Andy Greene. At the time, the team was without Adam Pelech and desperately needed help on the blue line.

On deadline day itself, the Isles moved a 2020 first, a 2020 second, and a conditional third-round pick for JG Pageau who they then extended to a six-year deal. The Isles were criticized for “overpaying” for both of those players, well, it’s worked out significantly so far.

In Game 1, it was Andy Greene who got the Islanders on the board first.

The vet was phenomenal for the Islanders tonight, coming up with this big goal and then coming up with a huge block in the same period. He was originally going to be a seventh d-man but after Johnny Boychuk went down, Greene stepped up tremendously.

At this point, Boychuk looks expendable with the emergence of Andy Greene.

In the third period, the Islanders got a little insurance from JG Pageau, who scored his fifth of the playoffs.

You can’t give up three picks and then give a third-line center $5 million a year! Well, Lou Lamoriello is the one laughing now as his team is in the second round three wins away from the Eastern Conference Final.

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The Islanders are clicking on all cylinders right now and it’s all thanks to the Barry Trotz system and the players that Lou Lamoriello provided to Trotz. Sometimes it’s not pretty, some would consider it “boring” but it works, and winning is fun.