Islanders top 2022 offseason trade targets

A massive offseason for the New York Islanders has already begun to take shape. Barry Trotz's replacement has already been found with Associate Coach Lane Lambert being elevated to Head Coach.

But there's still a ton of work to do this offseason. We know very well what's on the Isles To-Do list this summer. I already went over that recently on the site with the four offseason priorities.

Now let's focus on those four priorities; specifically, when it comes to the players they might want to acquire through the trade market this offseason.

We don't know for a fact that the Islanders will use the trade market to acquire what they're missing, but with so few venues to do so, it makes sense that they'll be active in the trade market.

So here are four players that likely rank at the very top of the Islanders trade target list and why the Isles might look to bring in that specific player.

Kevin Fiala - Minnesota Wild

Why Him?

I think it's easy to see why the Islanders might want to bring in Kevin Fiala. In 21-22, he's got 85 points in 82 games. That's the exact type of production the Isles need to bring in.

And I don't know about you, but I thought there could be a Kaprizov impact on those numbers. Consider that Fiala added some 20 points to his stats from 20-21. When I say added, I mean added to his pace over the 50 games he played two years ago. Such a big bump can easily be a result of an elite-level linemate.

Sure Kaprizov was there in 20-21, but the Russian forward took a huge step up this year with 108 points in 81 games. So you can see how it's possible that Fiala could have benefited from that. But the two rarely played together at 5on5. In fact, they shared the ice for 40:31. Mathew Barzal and Cal Clutterbuck have more shared ice-time (62:40) than Fiala and Kaprizov.

That changes on the power play where Kaprizov is Fiala's most common linemate at 134:13 of shared ice time. But Fiala's PP production only jumped up by three points from last year and only accounts for 20% of his production this year. So Fiala's jump is very much due to Fiala himself.

Can they make it work?

I don't see why not. The Wild are in a pickle when it comes to the cap and they've even conceded that they might not be able to keep Fiala next season. Meanwhile, the Islanders have an absolute need on the top line for a scoring winger.

The match just works between both teams. The only issue now is can they agree on a price. No team has a real advantage over the other here so I don't think this should be too hard. The Isles certainly have the assets to make it work. Now does Wild GM Bill Guerin agree?

Jakob Chychrun - Arizona Coyotes

Why Him?

Eighteen goals in 56 games. That's a pace of 26 goals over a full season. From the blue line. Pace out those goals and his overall production from that 20-21 season and you're looking at a 60-point defenseman. That's why the Islanders or any other team is interested in Jakob Chychrun.

Of course, the appeal doesn't end there. Chychrun turned 24 in March, so he's still relatively young and he's under contract for three years at an absolutely delectable cap hit. He carries a $4.6 million hit through the 2024-25 season.

If the Islanders can pull in a 60-point defenseman and add him to the trio of Pelech, Pulock, and Dobson, oh boy does that look good for the Isles. Look at this potential top four:

Pelech-Dobson
Chychrun-Pulock

Round that out with Salo and Mayfield on pair three and you have a pretty good defensive core.

That's why they want him.

Can they make it work?

I don't know about that. The Coyotes want a lot for Chychrun. Back in January, the ask from Arizona was a young player, a high-end prospect, and a first-round pick. For the Isles, that would look like Beauvillier, Aatu Räty, and a first-rounder.

That might be too rich for the Islanders to pull off. If the Isles can make it work with Beauvillier and the 13th overall pick they'll gladly do it. I doubt that works for Arizona which already has three first-round picks this year.

Now two of those Coyotes 2022 first-rounders are at the tail end of the first round (30th and 31st) so maybe they'll take a 13th overall to add another top prospect this year. But I have my doubts about that.

Vince Dunn - Seattle Kraken

Why Him?

Why not is the real question? Why not try and bring in Vince Dunn? The Islanders need a puck-moving defenseman that can add some offense. Isn't that precisely what Vince Dunn brings to the table? He may not be one of the premier "puck movers" in the NHL, but he's got the required skill set to fill that void for the Isles.

Note: Jakob Chychrun isn't one of the premier puck movers either. In a study done back in November, the Athletic's Harman Dayal and Dom Luszczyszyn looked at the top 25 puck movers and neither made the list (subscription required).

We know Dunn moves the puck well. When it comes to offense, Dunn put up 35 points in 73 games this year. That's a pace of 40 points on the year. That's not Chychrun pace but a 40-point defenseman is something the Islanders can absolutely use on the blue line.

And think about it. If Chychrun will require three pieces to acquire then Dunn will undoubtedly require less to pull in.

That's why I look at Dunn over Chychrun. Dunn isn't quite as young (he turns 26 in October) and he isn't as productive as Chychrun, but he's the type of player the Isles are looking for. He fills what the Isles need and they can (probably) get him for much cheaper.

Can they make it work?

I don't see why the Islanders can't make it work. But I added a "probably" in that previous paragraph because I'm not sure if Seattle is willing to part with Vince Dunn.

I can't imagine why they wouldn't want to move him. They aren't exactly competitive at the moment and if they can pull something valuable from the Isles for him why not move him?