What Would a Roster Retool Look Like for the NY Islanders?

Step Two: Explore the Trade Market for C JG Pageau

The next piece to dangle would be JG Pageau. Pageau is signed for two more years after this year, with a salary cap hit of $5M (but salaries of $4M and $3.5M for the last two seasons of the deal). The fact that Pageau's salary is less than his cap hit only makes him more desirable to teams like the Arizona Coyotes, who typically need to spend to reach the cap floor, but have financial restraints preventing them from spending large amounts of real money.

While Pageau's offensive game has declined over the last few seasons, he is still a strong defensive center, a great skater, and is one of the league's best in the faceoff dot. Additionally, Pageau is the kind of player beloved by old-school hockey fans: he brings a certain level of grit and heart to the team and is the kind of player you want on your side come the post-season.

Because Pageau's contract extends two more years, the Islanders do not face pressure to move Pageau now. However, if a contender comes calling, the Isles would have to listen. This would be another trade where including somebody like Aho could make sense.

Hypothetical trade: Islanders trade center JG Pageau to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick.