While it seems unlikely the New York Islanders will move on from either of their goalies before the season starts, upgrades are always welcome.
Change is coming between the pipes for the New York Islanders just after they found the supposed solution.
#isles have called all 30 teams and even some AHL clubs to express interest in a goaltender. Tonight at 11.
— Andy Graziano (@AndyGraz_WFAN) September 20, 2018
It’s unclear and unlikely that the Islanders would already move on from Robin Lehner, and though Thomas Greiss had a good showing last night, both he and the Islanders would definitely like to move on from last season’s performance.
Another interesting note is that both Elliotte Freidman and Darren Dreger have echoed the same sentiment that the Islanders are the front-runners to acquire Sergei Bobrovsky should Columbus decide to move on from the pending UFA.
Friedman on #Isles: "I do think that if I was to put money on it now – and I'm not saying I'm going to be right, but if I had to place an early-season wager – I think that's the team that's all-in for Bobrovsky." #CBJ #31ThoughtsThePodcast
— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) September 20, 2018
There’s a good chance that Lou Lamoriello is taking the same approach he did with Toronto when he came in during the 2015 offseason — an evaluative first season and an eventful following offseason of upgrades in areas that need it.
July 1, 2019, will be one of the most eventful free agency classes in years, possibly close to a decade or more. Artemi Panarin has already made it perfectly clear he intends to hit the open market next season, highlighting a crop of impressive forwards that could potentially include Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle.
Goaltending-wise, names such as Bobrovsky, Semyon Varlamov, Cam Talbot and Pekka Rinne are all headlining the list of puck-stoppers who may seek new environments next year.
The more puzzling question for the Islanders is: what would they give up in a potential trade? The only thing the Islanders have any form of excess of is forwards, so if they were to acquire a goaltender it would more than likely be from an offensively challenged team.
Any trade would likely start with a first round pick and a high-end prospect. From there, the Islanders may see a scenario where a pending UFA goes in exchange.
With the season less than two weeks away, eyes and ears are on Islanders management to see if they pull something off before Oct. 4.
