New York Islanders Daily Insight, 6/16/17: Almost, Folks
Mar 23, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Edmonton Oilers right wing Jordan Eberle (14) takes a shot on goal in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. The Oilers defeated the Avalanche 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

There’s a reason the media has focused almost exclusively on the New York Islanders’ return in a possible trade.

As we’ve discussed ad nauseam, the Islanders are nearly certain to make a trade before rosters lock tomorrow.

It’s simply not feasible to keep both Calvin de Haan and Travis Hamonic away from the Vegas Golden Knights at the upcoming expansion draft. For that reason, the Isles will trade one of them, so as to fetch something in return.

We’ve discussed that end of the equation at length, but haven’t focused as much on who they’ll have to give up. As the saying goes, “You have to give to get.”

There’s good reason for that: as solid as de Haan and Hamonic have been over the past couple of seasons, the Isles could survive without one of them on the roster. They just have that much depth.

Meanwhile, unless the Islanders wish to replicate the same disappointing results as last season, they’ll need to obtain a top-6 forward via trade or free agency. There’s really no other option.

That’s why trading one of these guys for Jordan Eberle would be less-than-ideal. The Isles can part with a defenseman. They need a bona-fide forward in return.

NOTES

Former Islanders head coach Jack Capuano could perhaps join the Buffalo Sabres’ coaching staff in the coming weeks, Darren Dreger of TSN tweets. The Katanas hired Phil Housley as their new head coach on Thursday, and there’s a connection between the two: respect. Some think Capuano should wait before accepting, though. We explored Cappy’s future after his abrupt firing.

The floodgates are starting to open. With rosters locking at 3 p.m. EST on Saturday, teams will be flocking to make last-minute moves ahead of the expansion draft on Wednesday evening. In the only major trade of the day, the Canadiens sent Mikhail Sergachev and a conditional second round pick (2018) to the Lightning for Jonathan Drouin and a conditional sixth round pick (2018).

On Thursday, the team revealed its 2017 preseason schedule, and it’s surprisingly eventful. The club will be making trips to Nassau Coliseum, Madison Square Garden and Webster Bank Arena. Also, they’ll be facing the Flyers and Rangers multiple times. See the full schedule here.

Justin Weiss is a staff editor at Elite Sports New York, where he covers the New York Islanders and Brooklyn Cyclones. In 2016, he received a Quill Award for Freelance Journalism. He has written for the Long Island Herald, FanSided and YardBarker.