Five players that could leave the Islanders in offseason

It's going to be a busy offseason for the New York Islanders. Heck, it was going to be a busy offseason before Lou Lamoriello let Barry Trotz go. Add that to Lou's "To-Do List" and the next few months are going to be very interesting for the Isles.

When it comes to the roster most of us are focused on who's coming in. Who will Barry Trotz add to the roster? Who is coming in to bolster this squad that fell out of the playoff picture in 2021-22?

But this squad is already effectively at capacity, so we can't only focus on who might come in, we've also got to focus on who could be on the way out.

Here's a list of five guys that could be on their way out of the squad this offseason. That doesn't mean all five will go, but some combination of these five players will have to vacate the roster in order to bring in the players the New York Islanders need.

Now, I'm not counting Zdeno Chara amongst these five players. I know he hasn't officially retired yet, but c'mon it seems pretty clear that that announcement is coming any day now. That seems too easy of a name to add to this list.

Anthony Beauvillier

Lou Lamoriello has said on a few occasions now that he's going to look to make a hockey trade or two this offseason. He even specifically referred to his group of forwards when talking about said hockey trades.

When you look at the Islanders core of forwards with a hockey trade in mind no one player stands out more than Anthony Beauvillier.

He's got value, he's young, and he's got no trade protection to speak of and he's potentially expendable for the Islanders.

Now we can obviously debate on what his value is exactly. He's not necessarily in the greatest of form right now. With 34 points in 73 games we didn't see the best version of Anthony Beauvillier this season.

But at 24-years-old (turns 25 in early June), Beau still has time to hit his peak and reach the heights we all think he can hit. We've also seen him play at a 60-point clip a few times now to know there might be a more productive player under there than we've seen.

Maybe it's going to take a new situation to coax that version of Beau out of him.

So as we consider what players could be leaving this offseason, Anthony Beauvillier is an easy name to consider. Not because I or anyone else want him gone, but you've got to give to get, so I can absolutely see Lou Lamoriello deal out Anthony Beauvillier as part of a trade to bring in a top-4 defender or a better winger.

Josh Bailey

Sticking with the forwards, Josh Bailey is another name that might not be on the roster at the start of the 2022-23 NHL season. And for a totally different reason than Anthony Beauvillier's departure.

While Beau could go in a hockey trade, Bailey could depart to clear out more space on the cap.

Of course, the New York Islanders already have $13.5 million in cap space and only truly need to re-sign a few players. Noah Dobson, Kieffer Bellows, and perhaps a UFA defenseman or two. That's really it for the Islanders re-sign list. That might not cost more than, say $5-$7 million of that $13 million pot. That still leaves about $6 to $8 million.

That might sound like enough, but the Islanders need to add some serious talent and skill to the roster, limiting themselves to spending $6-8 million might hinder their ability to bring in that top talent they're looking for. They don't need another Kyle Palmieri, they need top-end elite-level talent. And that, obviously, costs a lot.

Moving Bailey and his $5 million cap hit bumps up how much they can spend considerably.

And look I understand that Josh Bailey got a bad wrap this year, but he's still an effective middle-six player. Specifically for a team that's rebuilding. Bailey put up 44 points in 74 games, a pace of 49 points over a full year. That's a good addition for a team needing veteran depth. Something the Islanders already have in abundance.

Bailey is one of the few vets signed long-term (he still has two more years left on his deal) that has no trade protection to speak of. There is no limit as to who Josh Bailey can be shopped to. I've said it before and I'll say it again here, sending Josh Bailey to Ottawa, who are looking for Bailey-esque players, makes all the sense in the world.

I'd love to see him play 1,000 games in an Islanders uniform, but there's no sense in keeping a guy around for seven games.

Sebastian Aho

Aho will become a group 6 UFA on July 1. He didn't play enough NHL games in his career for the Islanders to preserve his RFA status so he will be free to sign with another club.

Of course, he could sign with the Islanders which is why he makes this list. It's not a given that he will leave, but there's a strong possibility he might leave the only NHL team he's played for since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 draft.

I can't say I'd blame him for wanting to leave. He's played 61 games since being drafted and averaged 16:14 of ice time in that time. He's not really making an impact at the NHL level. Or even being given the chance to make an impact at the NHL level. At least not consistently. He might have a better shot at having a bigger impact somewhere else.

Maybe he just decides it's better for him to head back to Europe where he could very well be a top player in his native Sweden.

But it seems, and the entire point of this post, that Sebastian Aho's time with the New York Islanders could very well be over.

Oliver Wahlstrom

Remember, this isn't to say he's going to get moved. But there's a possibility that Oliver Wahlstrom could be moved in an effort to bring in the talent the New York Islanders are looking for now.

This comes back to the "you got to give to get" ideology.

Look at the Islanders roster and what forward has more trade value - and can be traded - than Oliver Wahlstrom? You might say Mathew Barzal, but if he goes that probably signals something deeper than simply a retool.

I know we don't want to give up a player that shows as much promise as Oliver Wahlstrom does. But how long will it take for him to get to that peak versus how long the Islanders current window is open? If he's moved I bet Lou had the same debate and likely felt Wahlstrom might not get there in time.

Again, this isn't "Wahlstrom has to go", but rather "there's a chance he might". I think the Islanders can get what they need in this retool without having to give up on the promise of Oliver Wahlstrom. But what if dangling Antony Beauvillier isn't enough?

Lou Lamoriello is all in. He's got all his chips in the middle of the table after firing Barry Trotz. Now he's got to show us his hand. And that means he can't wait for the right deal to materialize, he has to make the right deal materialize. So if Beauvillier isn't enough to return what he's looking for he might very well have to up the ante; and that's dangling Oliver Wahlstrom.