Islanders call Blues’ bluff in Schenn blockbuster

The New York Islanders have pulled off the biggest deal of the 2026 NHL trade deadline. And they were able to do so while calling the St. Louis Blues’ bluff.

The Isles landed former Blues’ captain Brayden Schenn in the waning minutes of the trade deadline. The deal is easily the biggest of the day, and it didn’t come at the reported cost.

According to the chatter leading up to the deadline, the Blues were asking for the moon in exchange for Schenn, among other players.

But that wasn’t the case in this deal. The Islanders got Schenn for various pieces, but the sum of those pieces is nowhere near the full asking price the Blues had on Schenn. The Isles sent Jonathan Drouin, a third-round pick, and a 2026 first-round pick, the one the Isles got from the Colorado Avalanche in the Brock Nelson deal.

As for the prospect, it’s goalie prospect Marcus Gidlof.

When looking at the going rate for other players at this year’s trade deadline, it’s easy to see why the Islanders called the Blues’ bluff. Some clubs, like the Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning, send second-round picks for fourth-liners.

While Schenn isn’t exactly Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon, he’s one of the best centers available at this year’s deadline.

Schenn instantly makes the Islanders’ center depth one of the best in the Eastern Conference. Most importantly, he provides leadership and support to the team’s top six.

The best part of all is that the Islanders get all that without surrendering any of the team’s best prospects. A couple of the names going around were Kashawn Aitcheson and Danny Nelson. That’s on top of the usual suspects like Cole Eiserman and Isaiah George.

In the end, the Islanders got what they wanted for a reasonable price. It’s worth pointing out that the Isles managed to pull this off because of Schenn’s no-trade clause. Schenn picked the Islanders, and, well, the Blues really couldn’t do much about it.

It was a sort of take-it-or-leave-it type of situation. The Islanders took full advantage of that situation.

If Mathieu Darche does not get the GM of the Year Award, it will be a travesty.