New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow will surely be making a move over the coming week; will it be a satisfactory one?
On Wednesday, we explored how the Islanders are running out of time to make a trade.
With the expansion draft in less than a week, Garth Snow will have to pull the trigger on a deal — and fast. As we’ve previously noted, the Isles would likely part with either Calvin de Haan or Travis Hamonic. They could fetch a return like Jordan Eberle or Matt Duchene. It’s also possible, realistically speaking, that the Isles’ first-round pick could be in play.
“There’s no satisfactory alternative to not getting a deal done. Even if the Islanders protect both players (as well as Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy, and Ryan Pulock), they’re bound to lose a quality contributor, just at a forward position, where they have less depth, to begin with,” we wrote.
When all is said and done, though, Snow still needs to make sure that the Islanders get something really good in return. And don’t get me wrong — I think that Eberle is a talented goalscorer. But he carries a $6 million cap hit, and hasn’t posted numbers that would blow anyone away.
Snow has two responsibilities over the upcoming week: finding a willing trade partner and making sure his team doesn’t get fleeced. If that doesn’t happen, well, it could be an unbearable regular season.
NOTES
Islanders captain John Tavares’ future with the team is still in doubt, but Newsday’s Arthur Staple tweets that “he’s leaning towards staying.” On the flip side, if he chooses to leave, there is a “0.0 percent chance they deal him to a team within the division.” Last week, TSN’s Darren Dreger speculated that Tavares is willing to wait on extension. With so many reports and so much speculation, who really knows?
The Islanders and Flyers will partake in a preseason game on September 17. The location? Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where the Isles spent forty-three seasons. Tickets will go on sale on Thursday, June 29. In other news, the two teams will compete just three days later in Allentown. Also, the Isles and Rangers will duel at the Garden on September 18.
Per Dreger, the Avalanche and Isles are the two front-runners for Eberle. While this means absolutely nothing in terms of getting things done, it’s possible, unfortunately, that the Islanders could actually commit resources to getting Eberle. As we’ve discussed above, that wouldn’t be an ideal move.
Also, there’s this:
6.20.2017 ?#Isles x @adidashockey pic.twitter.com/5wKPFLvrUJ
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 15, 2017