3 under-the-radar prospects the Islanders should pursue at the trade deadline

Ville Heinola could hit his stride with a new team

Suppose, for a second, that the Islanders traded for Broberg, a B-prospect, a first-round pick, Berggren, another first-round pick, and another B-prospect. Those two trades alone would work wonders for the current state of the Islanders prospects pool, and they would definitely work well for the future. 

Could you imagine a team having five first-round picks over the next three seasons? Talk about changing the trajectory of a prospects pool with more than enough players locked up on long-term deals. Not to mention the cap space being saved, which makes room for a blockbuster offseason trade or a high-profile free agent. 

But the Islanders shouldn’t be finished yet, as they could also call the Winnipeg Jets and inquire about defenseman and former first-round pick Ville Heinola. With no Brock Nelson or Kyle Palmieri in this situation, this would be a trade where you flip someone like Cal Clutterbuck, whose contract expires following the current season, and maybe a fifth-round pick, for someone like Heinola. 

Heinola, like Broberg and Berggren, hasn’t fit in well with the Jets, appearing in just 35 games since the 2019-20 season. He has just 11 points and one goal, and he’s never established himself as anything more than someone you put onto a bottom-pairing. But as a former first-round pick, it wouldn’t hurt to take a flier on him in what could be a minor trade that would involve Winnipeg landing a hard-hitter and seasoned veteran in Clutterbuck. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and theAHL.com as of March 3rd)