One player the NY Islanders could unexpectedly trade in the 2024 offseason

The New York Islanders could and probably should make a big trade this offseason to land a forward who will help them light up the scoreboard a little (or a lot) more than they did last season. That ironically doesn’t mean they need to trade any defensemen to land such a player, even if that may be the logical way to go on paper. 

One challenge facing the Islanders is the array of modified no-trade and full no-trade clauses currently spread throughout their lineup and at every position. This doesn’t mean general manager Lou Lamoriello can’t trade these players; it’s more of the fact that he would have a much more challenging time moving them. This becomes especially true for such players who are on full no-trade clauses. 

But there is one player, a forward who has been with the Islanders for over a decade, who Lamoriello could insert into an enticing trade package, and that player is Casey Cizikas. It would be a shocker, as Cizikis has been a regular member of the Islanders lineup since he appeared in 45 contests in 2012-13, and he’s always played his role well. 

How would trading Casey Cizikas benefit the NY Islanders?

A shocker for sure, and why would a team be so willing to trade a player who is heading into his age-33 season and offers primarily value as a defensive forward who has averaged 13:24 of ice time throughout his career?

Easy: Some teams need a player like Cizikas, and they may have a high-scoring forward they could trade because they have a few ready to roll in their prospects pool to replace them. Teams like the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings are a couple of good examples, as the former has someone like Jeff Skinner, just to pick a name, who is older but still productive. 

Clearly, in a case like Skinner’s, there would be questions involving the team’s cap situation in a hypothetical trade, but NHL general managers make situations like these work often, and Skinner is just one of a few examples we can use. Overall, Cizikas would have value in helping teams, especially those who want to contend in 2024-25, get more physical, win more faceoffs, and provide better overall play in the defensive zone. 

Sure, it would be a shocker and the end of an era if someone like Cizikas went elsewhere, but there with no clauses potentially limiting his movement and immense value for a team that needs to improve their bottom-six, especially if they’re willing to trade a scorer, moving him would also make sense. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)