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Islanders: Trade season is open with Montreal-Calgary deal

By Michel Anderson |
New Jersey Devils v New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils v New York Islanders / Bruce Bennett/GettyImages

The NHL trade deadline isn't until March 21st. As it stands now it looks like the New York Islanders will be sellers at the deadline.

We all want them to be in the playoffs. But at the time of writing that looks next to impossible. They're 17 points out of a playoff spot with four games in hand. The Isles will have to go on an incredible - and frankly improbable- run and have teams ahead of them fall off at the same time. Again, possible, but unlikely.

So being sellers at the trade deadline seems like the play for the Islanders. But look, we might not have to wait until the end of March to see pieces move. The trade season was "unofficially" declared open today.

New York Islanders: Trade season is open

The Montreal Canadiens sent Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames for a big return. The Habs got a 2022 1st round pick (top 10 protected), a 2023 5th round pick, Tyler Pitlick (journeyman forward), and prospect Emil Heineman (a 2020 2nd round pick).

That's a big return for the Habs who now have eight picks in the first four rounds of the 2022 draft. But the big takeaway is that the trade season is now open. This was the first domino to fall and set the market for everyone else.

This sets the stage for the few teams either looking to rebuild or retool. The Islanders fall firmly in that second category,

They've got a number of guys they can cash in on right now. Zach Parise could net a decent return for someone on a league-minimum deal. The 37-year-old is sure to get a number of suitors looking to bring him in for a Cup run.

Scott Mayfield is also going to receive a tone of interest around the league. The right-handed defenseman is a big tough defender whos good on the PK and isn't shy to get physical. Exactly the type of defenseman any Cup contender is looking to add. He could likely net the Isles a good return.

Not to mention some of the other names the Islanders could sell off without impacting their core.

If the Islanders are looking to sell (and they likely are) the window is "unofficially" opened to start making deals.