3 recently traded forwards the NY Islanders must target in NHL free agency

The New York Islanders can’t expect to struggle through a season like what they had in 2023-24 and hope to end up in the Metropolitan’s top-three again, let alone even make the playoffs. Very few teams who finish in the bottom half of the NHL in goals scored and goals against earn a trip to the postseason.

If you looked at where the Isles finished against the rest of the league in the goals for and goals against categories, plus their goal differential, and if you didn’t follow hockey, you’d be surprised this team made the playoffs. 

Luckily for the Islanders, they have one of the best goaltenders in the world, if not the best in Ilya Sorokin. He just struggled through a bad season, and there isn’t a single NHL player out there, even those in the Hall of Fame, who can sit there and claim they never had an “off-year,” or at least an off-year based on their standards. 

That said, the Isles goaltending and, by extension, goals allowed should take care of itself, but it’s tough to say the same about their scoring units. Sure, they have some of the league’s better scorers on Long Island, but it clearly wasn’t enough. 

NY Islanders need a solid, cost-effective scorer in NHL free agency

And if misfortune can strike the Isles again, it’s that their organization is cash-strapped this offseason, so while it would be possible to bring in a prize free agent forward, doing so would require a lot of lineup restructuring. Therefore, it makes more sense to find a solid scorer who wouldn’t break the bank if and when general manager Lou Lamoriello decided to upgrade his forward group. 

In the following three slides, you will meet a trio of recently traded players, none of whom should sign large, or even long deals. They’re all older or at least middle-aged players, but they were still productive enough to be in demand at the NHL trade deadline this past season, so they would factor in as solid additions in 2024-25.