The trade deadline came and went, and the New York Islanders were silent. There was almost nothing in the media, and there were not many players that seemed to be perfect fits. Standing pat made sense for the middling Islanders, but their recent hot streak has shown promise. While they can no longer make trades to improve their roster, they can build for the short and long term in other ways.
Monitor NCAA Transactions
While the trade deadline is over, trades can still technically happen. The rule is after the deadline, “no player can be added to the NHL roster.” This does not prevent teams from trading for players in college. As well, the college season is nearing an end, so many teams will begin signing college players before losing their signing rights this summer.
Related: Islanders’ Trade Deadline Hints at Summer Moves
The Islanders’ lone NCAA prospect with expiring contract rights is Alex Jefferies, according to according to CapFriendly. He has been great this season, having 13 goals and 23 points in 21 games for Merrimack College. While he is 22 years old, he is poised to have a strong professional career, likely seeing time in the NHL.
In the trade market, there are many other college players expected to sign entry-level contracts this summer. For some, they will sign with the team who drafted them. Others will walk, opting for better opportunities elsewhere. One name to keep an eye on is Boston University left-wing, Luke Tuch. He is a strong playmaker who has been a consistent top-six forward for Boston University. The Montreal Canadiens selected him 47th overall in the 2020 Draft, but he has yet to sign a contract. With the team being so strong on the left side, they may opt to trade him this summer.
Another name to keep an eye on is Collin Graf. The Quinnipiac University forward is arguably the best player in all of college hockey, with 20 goals and 46 points in 29 games this season. He is utterly dominant offensively and has not been drafted by an NHL team yet. He is likely to sign an entry-level contract following this season, and the Islanders must prioritize landing the prized college free agent. For a team with minimal skill in the prospect pool, he would become a top-three prospect on the team immediately.
Controlling the Roster
Predicting what transactions the Islanders will make is always challenging, especially when it comes down to injuries. The team currently has a full 23-person roster. This includes Robert Bortuzzo and Scott Mayfield being on the long-term injured reserve. However, what happens if one of the two defensemen is ready to play this season?
It is easy to say to just place Bortuzzo on waivers since he is likely the eighth defenseman on this roster. However, Samuel Bolduc is waiver-eligible, so he may be the likelier option to get sent down. He would get the call back to the NHL come playoff time with the expanded roster, so it would not be a big loss for the playoff-hopeful Islanders.
What gets more challenging is the decision if the Islanders decide to call up a forward from the minor leagues. Both Matthew Maggio and Ruslan Iskhakov have been tearing up the American Hockey League (AHL) as of late, with the two scoring the team’s lone goals in their March 9 shootout victory over the Hartford Wolfpack. In the case of the more likely Iskhakov call-up, the lines would be:
Brock Nelson – Bo Horvat – Mathew Barzal
Anders Lee – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Kyle Palmieri
Pierre Engvall – Ruslan Iskhakov – Simon Holmstrom
Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Cal Clutterbuck
In the case of Maggio getting the call-up, he would likely play as the third-line right wing, shifting Cizikas to the third-line center role, MacLean to center on the fourth line, and Holmstrom to the left wing on the fourth line. If both Iskhakov and Maggio were to get the call-up, they would play on the third line with Engvall, and Holmstrom would take MacLean’s spot on the wing.
If the Islanders’ scoring struggles in the bottom six persist, do not think general manager Lou Lamoriello will hesitate to call up one, or both of these forwards. In terms of staying compliant with the cap and roster size rules, sending down MacLean is the most likely move. For Maggio, he is a right-wing, so he would take the role of Oliver Wahlstrom. While Wahlstrom has struggled tremendously as an Islander, he is unlikely to be placed on waivers, so a transaction would require another player to be sent to the AHL or placed on the injured reserve.
For now, this is all speculation, but it is hard to imagine the Islanders going through these scoring struggles without trying to improve. Their recent March 10 victory over the Anaheim Ducks showed promise in the entire forward core, but can they sustain offensive production against top teams, too? A call-up is the only realistic way to improve the team since the trade deadline has passed, so it is increasingly likely to occur. Hopefully, the team will solve these struggles and avoid any tough decisions from management.