Islanders: Good, Bad, Ugly of trade market for Nick Leddy

The Good

When looking at the good the easy thing to point to is his production. Last season Nick Leddy put up 31 points in 56 games. Pace that out over a full 82 game season and Leddy scores 45 points. That’s just one point shy of his 46 point career high set in 2016-17.

Leddy is coming off his best statistical season since 2017-18. Just in time to be put in the shop window.

Looking at the market shows that Leddy is easily in the top three left-shot defensemen currently being shopped around. The other two are Nate Schmidt (Vancouver) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona). You could argue Leddy is second after OEL.

What favors Leddy over the other two is his contract. Schmidt has four years left on his deal that carries a $5.95 million cap hit while Ekman-Larsson still has six years on his deal with an $8.25 million cap hit.

Which pushes Leddy up the list over both. Leddy is easier to fit under the cap and has a very tradeable contract at the trade deadline. Any team that acquires Leddy could easily flip him for a second-round pick+ at the 2022 trade deadline. There’s no question about it.

So, Leddy is one of the top available players at his position, with an easier cap hit to fit under the ceiling, and is coming off a strong year. All of that bodes well for Lou Lamoriello’s chances to not only move Leddy but to get the return he’s looking for.