Despite another flurry of trade rumors, speculation, talks and more, General Manager Garth Snow held his ground as the buzzer sounded off signaling a brief recess before the Expansion Draft rush.
Another deadline came and went, and another busy day of speculation from the New York Islanders front office.
Fans were treated to a barrage of rumors and speculation but it wasn’t meant to be on the eve of the expansion decision. Numerous NHL insiders linked the Islanders to two players: Matt Duchene and Jordan Eberle.
Nothing came to fruition at the deadline, but some questions were answered by NHL insiders regarding the status of some Islanders, and possibly some Islanders-to-be.
Montreal and the Islanders tell me they're done for the day. Potentially, two big players next week.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 17, 2017
According to the rumblings on twitter, from what it’s worth, it seems that Joe Sakic‘s asking price for Duchene was still very high, and being that he has no interest in Travis Hamonic, a deal is not very likely.
The Islanders have been intensely linked to Eberle and it seems talks will continue post-draft. Alex Galchenyuk is a name that has been on the trade block as well and would be interesting to survey in the coming days. Galchenyuk is just 23-years-old and already has a 30-goal season under his belt. As a left-handed shot, it would be nice to see him slot in on the top-six pairing, but there has not been a link to him and the Islanders … yet.
The most attractive piece on the table has to be RW Jordan Eberle. With the Isles in desperate need for a natural RW (Ryan Strome is a natural center who has not transitioned smoothly to playing wing) and scoring 51 points last season, Eberle would be a hot pickup. Chiarelli and Snow have made deals in the past so it’s easy to see this one panning out for both clubs, not to mention the fact that there was already significant interest in Hamonic from Edmonton last offseason.
Vegas
If #Isles don't make a trade today, raises the likelihood they have a deal with Vegas to avoid picking prime unprotected players.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) June 17, 2017
Due to today’s inactivity, there are signs pointing to a potential deal in place with Las Vegas. The Golden Knights have not been quiet about their willingness to field offers from teams and it appears that Snow is all for a deal with his old employee, George McPhee.
“Vegas has indicated that they will give all 30 clubs every opportunity to keep their rosters intact if they'd like.”—VGK Organization
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 17, 2017
Sorting Through Speculation
It’s been abundantly clear that a move needs to be made for this team to have success next season. After the departure of Frans Nielsen last offseason, the Islanders lost their No. 2 Center and, ultimately, failed to replace him. Yes, I know they also lost Kyle Okposo but despite Andrew Ladd‘s abysmal first season as an Islander, he’s still capable of being a solid depth winger.
Regardless, the Islanders have needs they are attempting to address and it seems that the answer did not arrive today, but don’t be quick to crucify Snow just yet. Remember, the NHL trade freeze is lifted on Thursday at 8 a.m. ET. From then until puck drop in October there will be a large window of time to at least attempt some moves.
For now, the attention is turned to the NHL draft and all it entails this coming Wednesday.
Other Isles News, Stories:
- ESNY’s Justin Weiss discusses the oddly strange Isles preseason schedule.
- Arthur Staple of Newsday suggests that the Isles could have a deal in place with the Vegas Golden Knights.
