The NY Islanders should shop their veteran defensemen at deadline

As the trade deadline rapidly approaches, the New York Islanders are currently in the position to be sellers. Things can change in two months, but whether the team improves or not, general manager Lou Lamoriello should be looking to get creative with changing this roster. The team has several veterans signed to long-term contracts, and if the franchise expects to improve in the near future, unloading these contracts is as important as winning games this January and February.

Long-timers, Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri are among the unrestricted free agents this summer. Both players will be sought after in March and could provide the Islanders with future assets. Youth and salary cap space are much needed at Belmont and this summer Lamoriello will have work to do on returning players in addition to improving this roster. Noah Dobson, Alex Romanov, Maxim Tsyplakov, and Simon Holmstrom are all restricted free agents. Additionally, Hudson Fasching will become an unrestricted free agent.

After this season, Anders Lee and JG Pageau still have one year remaining on their contracts, totaling $12 million towards the salary cap. Those two will tie the hands of Lamoriello but both Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock have declined in production while holding large salaries till 2029 and 2030 respectively.

With the emergence of Isaiah George and the injury history of both Pulock and Pelech, the Islanders must move one of these contracts at the deadline or at the latest this spring. Both players are 30 years old but have productive years ahead shortly. The additional obstacle for Lamoriello will be the no-trade clauses(NTC) that both players were given in their current contracts. If a trade were to be achieved with another club, each player would need to be involved to approve such a move. With years remaining on their contracts, they would use the clause for an undesirable destination.