Going over Islanders four offseason priorities

Top4 Defenseman

With Chara seemingly set to retire and Andy Greene possibly right behind him, that's two spots on the Islanders blue line that need to be filled next season. Robin Salo might be given a spot on the left side of the third pair, leaving potentially one more spot to fill.

Everyone seems to want Jakob Chychrun. And that's fair. His production in 20-21 turned a lot of heads. With 18 goals and 41 points in 56 games, Chychrun showed he's a top-end player from the blueline. And exactly what the Isles could use.

But what about Seattle's Vince Dunn? There's no indication that he's on the trade block, but the Islanders can likely make the deal worth it for the Kraken. And honestly, Dunn would fill the void well on the second pair for the Islanders.

Think of the Isles top six this way:
Pelech-Dobson
Dunn-Pulock
Salo-Mayfield

That's excellent balance from handedness to the right blend of offense and defense.

I know we see Chychrun's 18 goals in 20-21 and think "that's what we need". And, well, sure that would certainly be nice, but the Islanders need someone to transport the puck out of the D-zone and push the play up the ice. And Dunn is the better player there.

Dunn's offense isn't something to disrespect. The Islanders could have used the 35 points in 73 games Dunn scored this year. After Dobson, no isles defenseman hit 30 points on the year. Pelech was the next highest scoring D-man for the Isles with 28 points.

Bringing in Vince Dunn seems like the right play for the Isles to get what they need and at a reduced cost compared to someone like Jakob Chychrun.