Lou Lamoriello and the NY Islanders are likely not finished dealing

There was likely plenty of confusion surrounding the NY Islanders fan base yesterday when it was announced that the team had completed a trade in May.

The trade wasn't for that coveted winger the team has been searching for, instead, the Islanders traded their first (18th overall) and second-round (50) picks to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a first (20th overall from Tampa) and two second (54th overall from LA and 61st overall from Vancouver) round picks.

The Islanders will move back two spots in the first-round and four in the second to acquire another second-round pick.

The news was a bit of a head-scratcher, as it's difficult to understand why Kyle Davidson and the Blackhawks would give up a second-round pick to move up two spots in the first round a month before the draft - but that's none of Lou Lamoriello's concern.

It's time for Lou to work his magic

Now the Islanders have options leading up to the the first round of the draft on June 28th.

If Lamoriello decides to keep all his picks, this will be a major step in the Islanders adding to their depleted prospect pool.

On the other hand, Lamoriello now has more assets to complete a trade to bring in an NHL-ready player - which seems likely the more likely option.

To do that they'll have to off-load some salary, with the most likely candidates being JG Pageau and Anders Lee.

Both have two years remaining on their current contracts, with Pageau being the more coveted asset. He has a $5M cap hit next season but is owed $4M in actual money this season and $3.5M next.

Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets has been the most notable names thrown around of potential players the Islanders should have on their trade list. Outside of Mark Scheiffele, the Jets don't have much depth in terms of centers. There could be a deal to be made here, swapping the two with the Islanders throwing in a 3rd round pick along with one of their seconds as a sweetener for the Jets to retain some of Ehlers's $6M contract owed to him next season.

Moving on from Lee will be much more difficult. He's 34 years old with a $7M cap hit and is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro. If the Islanders are to move on from him, some high picks will be required to go the other way for likely nothing in return. The more likely option is a buyout. Buying out Lee's contract would save the Islanders $4.125M this season and $2.775M next according to CapFriendly's buyout calculator. They'd then be on the hook for a $1.775M cap hit in the two years following the expiration of Lee's deal.

With Lou in charge, there's a strong possibility he makes a move that nobody could have conjured up, similar to the Alexander Romanov deal at the draft two years ago.

It's become clear that this Islanders roster needs some revamping, and yesterday's trade was just the first step. Expect there to be more.