Islanders: Three takeaways from Devon Toews trade to Colorado

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New York Islanders defenseman Devon Toews (25) (Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports) /

The New York Islanders have traded Devon Toews to the Colorado Avalanche. Here are three takeaways from the trade.

After six years in the organization, most of it spent in the minors, the New York Islanders have traded Devon Toews to the Colorado Avalanche for two second-round picks (one in 2021 and the other in 2022, both owned by Colorado). The Islanders needed to make cap space and this should allow them to do so.

Toews got his break after being called up to the NHL in 2018-19 when Thomas Hickey was sidelined with an injury. Toews played so well that he forced Barry Trotz to play him and forced Lou Lamoriello to keep him in the NHL the next season.

But with a flat salary cap, the price to move money around the league was difficult or next to impossible. It cost the New York Rangers a second-round pick in 2021 to move Marc Staal’s $5.7 million cap hit ($3.2 million in actual dollars). What would it take to move Johnny Boychuk‘s $6 million cap hit in 20-21 and in 21-22?

Clearly, the main takeaway from the Toews trade is that it will go some way to alleviate the Islanders salary cap issues (at least for this season). And that’s what I wanted to get to with this post, what should we take away from this deal?

Making cap space is perhaps the most obvious benefit of the trade and the reason Lou made it. But what else can we take away from this trade by the Islanders?

Nick Leddy #2 of the New York Islanders (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Hi Nick Leddy!

Since earning his spot on the roster in 2018-19, Devon Toews has consistently taken ice time away from Nick Leddy. Both are smooth-skating, puck-moving defensemen, with the ability to create offense at 5on5 and the power play.

Just watch Nick Leddy’s time decrease (at 5on5 and on the PP) as Devon Toews plays more and more games for the Islanders:

*TOI from NaturalStatTrick

Leddy’s power-play ice time plummeted this season. Of course, it was a shortened season, but getting to 100 PP minutes would have been a stretch over the 14 games the Islanders didn’t play in 19-20. Getting to 100 minutes would still only account for less than 50% of Leddy’s usual power-play time.

With Devon Toews gone to the Avalanche Nick Leddy will clearly make up that difference on the power play in 2020-21. Not to mention at 5on5.

With Toews gone, Nick Leddy now becomes the Islanders only puck-moving defender on the team. He will be bumped up to the second pair with Scott Mayfield, where he will be lugging the puck up the ice and setting up the attack.

If Nick Leddy can get back to playing the way he played between 2014-15 and the beginning of 2017-18 this won’t be an issue. But the last two-and-a-half years make you question his ability to get back to his best.

Backing him to get there is Barry Trotz, who loves Nick Leddy’s play. After a win against the Ottawa Senators in November of 2019 where Leddy had three points and was instrumental in an Isles win, Trotz went out of his way to quash any trade rumors involving the veteran D-man. Hopefully, the veteran coach can get Leddy to play like he used to.

Lou Lamoriello of the New York Islanders (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Good Return…Considering

Devon Toews was a casualty of the flat cap and the Islanders bloated salary commitments to a number of veterans. Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what Lou Lamoriello had to say about the Toews trade:

#Isles Lamoriello said dealing Toews to Colorado obviously had to do with making cap space.

Mentioned that Noah Dobson is ready to take the next step.
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) October 12, 2020

Again, it cost the Rangers a second in 2021 to move a $5.7 million cap hit. Moving Boychuk’s money to one of a handful of teams with enough cap space was going to cost more. And the Islanders didn’t have their second-round pick in 2021 to use as a kicker, they sent that to New Jersey in the Andy Greene trade. The Islanders weren’t about to move their first-round pick for the second year in a row.

Which forced Lou to move Toews in order to bring in assets he didn’t have. Two second-round picks for Devon Toews in this market was a good return for the Islanders. The Golden Knights got a single third-round pick (in 2022) from the Vancouver Canucks for Nate Schmidt who is without question a better player than Devon Toews.

You can argue (successfully) that Toews would normally be worth more than two-second round picks. But this isn’t normal times. Creating cap space was an issue that the Islanders couldn’t overcome without moving something of value. That something turned out to be Devon Toews.

Now the Isles have $8.905 million to re-sign Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock. That’s still not enough, but they now have assets that should entice another team to take Johnny Boychuk, which would open up enough space to sign the two and give the Islanders some breathing room.

Noah Dobson #8 of the New York Islanders (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

Noah Dobson (and Andy Greene) SZN

With Toews gone, there’s now a spot open on the blue line for the New York Islanders. According to Lou Lamoriello, that spot goes to youngster Noah Dobson.

(2/2) Lamoriello on Toews: "We would not have made this move if the ice time that Devon received, we didn’t have the ability to put a player into that. We feel Noah Dobson is ready to take the next step."
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) October 12, 2020

He didn’t get much playing time in 2019-20, but what we saw from the New York Islanders 12th overall pick at the 2018 NHL draft was promising. Sure, he made some mistakes along the way. That Kasperi Kapanen nutmeg from January against the Maple Leafs sticks out at the moment. But what 20-year-old rookie isn’t going to make a mistake from time to time? Mathew Barzal is 23 and he still makes mistakes.

The New York Islanders have to weigh the good and the bad. And what Dobson brings to the table is largely positive. And he’s only going to get better. Next season, Dobson will have a chance to showcase his abilities and talent by playing a full season.

There’s just one issue, Dobson is a righty and Toews is a lefty. Playing Noah Dobson out of position wasn’t a good idea in 2019-20 when he stepped in for an injured Adam Pelech. Playing him out of position next season won’t be a good idea either. That’s where veteran Andy Greene comes in.

He’s not going to cost a lot on the cap if the Islanders re-sign him (something Lou hinted to after the Toews trade) and the Greene-Dobson pair did well during the second training camp in 19-20. The way Barry Trotz talked about that pair made fans think he was ready to start them over Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk for the postseason.

With Toews gone and the Greene-Dobson pair stepping in, the Islanders would have the following defensive pairings:

Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock
Nick Leddy-Scott Mayfield
Andy Greene-Noah Dobson

That could very well be a solid defensive core next season as the Islanders look to put up a more consistent season in 2020-21 than they did last season.

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