2 Off-Season Trade Targets for the NY Islanders

It's been three seasons since the NY Islanders have advanced past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a roster that has remained relatively the same.

Lou Lamoriello has expressed his belief in this team over and over, but this team's core isn't getting younger. The window to win isn't closed but it's no longer wide open. There needs to be some change within the roster but making any trades won't be easy due to the Islanders depleted prospect pool and lack of cap space.

The organization doesn't have a prospect selected in the first round anywhere within the pipeline with Calle Odelius, Danny Nelson, and Ruslan Iskhakov being the highest-selected players, all picked in the second round.

The one thing the Islanders have in their holster is this year's first-round pick. In 2022, Lamoriello moved the team's first-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a then 22-year-old Alexander Romanov. Romanov has already proven to be an integral part of this team and will continue to be over the years.

The Islanders haven't made a first-round pick since 2019, and the consensus is that the team will look to move this year's pick rather than make a selection, preferably for a top-6 forward.

While bringing in a player of Mitch Marner's caliber would make an immediate impact, his $10.9M cap isn't feasible for the Islanders without a complete roster retooling.

Here are two sensible forward options for the Islanders to explore in the trade market: