Islanders: Looking at success rate of big trade deadline acquisitions

The 2016 and 2017 Trade Deadlines

• Kevin Shattenkirk (to Capitals): 2-12-14 (19) // 1-5-6 (13)
• Martin Hanzal (to Wild): 4-9-13 (20) // 1-0-1 (5)
• Andrew Ladd (to Blackhawks): 8-4-12 (19) //  1-1-2 (7)

Martin Hanzal has to be the largest cautionary tale for trading a first-round pick at the deadline. Not only because the 6’6″ is a very large man, but because of what he didn’t do for the Wild that year in the playoffs, and that was score goals.

Hanzal had one goal in the post-season as the Wild fell in five games to the St Louis Blues.

And boy should Garth have seen what was coming with Ladd’s performance in the playoffs. Clearly, all the former Islanders GM saw was eight goals and 12 points in 19 games down the stretch.

Overall Thoughts?

This pandemic and the shortened season is certainly not helping things. Palmieri and Zajac would do well to have up to 20 games with the Isles before going into the playoffs. But from what the other deadline acquisitions have shown you typically know what you’re going to get by now.

This does not bode too well for the Islanders as they down the final stretch of games and into the opening round of the playoffs. From everything I see here with all these trade deadline acquisitions, it seems we’d know if Palmieri and Zajac are going to be impact players. And so far, they don’t look like they will be.

Hopefully, that changes.