The offseason is in full swing for the majority of the NHL and the rumors keep on coming. For the New York Islanders, it’s clear they need to move around some furniture this summer to provide a different look next season. They have been a middling team in the Eastern Conference for a few seasons at this point and the best way to change that, aside from adding youth to the lineup, is by making some trades.
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The player they must consider trading is Jean-Gabriel Pageau. He was a staple of the roster and a third-line center who did it all in the seasons when the Islanders reached the Stanley Cup Semifinal, making it hard to part ways with him. He’s also an aging player at 31 years old and a modified no-movement clause doesn’t make things easy for the Islanders either.
That said, the Islanders have an avenue to trade him and it’s a must this offseason. This is a roster in dire need of change and among the veterans that they can move on from, Pageau is the one that makes the most sense.
A Pageau Trade Helps the Islanders’ Roster Reset
While general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello trusts the group, the reality is that the Islanders can’t keep things intact year in and year out. This is a team with a low ceiling and the chances of making a deep playoff run get slimmer and slimmer each season. The first round was a case in point of how far the Islanders are to contending as they were outplayed by the Carolina Hurricanes and lost the series in five games.
The Islanders have an aging roster with many of the key players in their 30s and it shows when they take the ice. The Islanders are a slow team and struggle on the offensive end of the ice. Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin are both heading to free agency and if the Islanders don’t re-sign either skater, it helps them with the youth movement but this team needs more help than that.
Moving Pageau starts the process of turning over the roster, especially in the bottom six. Suddenly, they can add youth to the third and fourth lines and hopefully, some scoring to go with that. Last season, the offense was top-heavy and there was a significant drop in scoring after the top six, making addressing the depth a top priority.
Teams That Would Want Pageau
All the reasons listed above make Pageau seem undesirable to have on a roster. So, why would any team want to make a trade for him? He’s older, declining, and more importantly, not a scoring threat in the bottom six. He scored 11 goals last season, the lowest mark for him since 2014-15, and things aren’t expected to improve. It also doesn’t help that he has a $5 million cap hit so the Islanders wouldn’t be able to ask for a lot in return and might have to take on some salary in a trade.
However, he’s a valuable addition on the defensive end of the ice, and for a contender, he’d make a difference in the playoffs in a defense-first role. The playoffs have displayed the importance of having a defensive center like Pageau to balance out the roster and win low-scoring games. The Colorado Avalanche needed a center like him but didn’t have one on their third or fourth line and were eliminated in six games by the Dallas Stars. The Boston Bruins could have used Pageau in their close series with the Florida Panthers and similarly, the Edmonton Oilers are preparing for a Game 7 in a series that has become low-scoring.
All this is to say that a team that has a great top six and scorer already on their roster but needs a defensive presence could make a move for Pageau. Even if he plays a fourth-line role, he’s the type of player who makes a difference in the playoffs.
Where the Islanders Pivot if Pageau is Traded
A Pageau trade helps them start a new chapter but the Islanders will suddenly have a third-line center void. But that’s only a temporary issue. Casey Cizikas, who was a staple on the fourth line stepped up last season in multiple roles, including on the top line at the end of the season, making him a reasonable option on the third line. Likewise, Kyle MacLean was a pleasant surprise last season when he was called up from the American Hockey League (AHL), and at 24 years old, he’s a reliable young two-way center.
Cizikas and MacLean can center the bottom six lines and similarly, the Islanders can call up a few other prospects from the AHL to begin the season to round out the forward unit. All eyes will be on the trio of Ruslan Iskhakov, Matthew Maggio, and William Dufour but the wild card is Maxim Tsyplakov who the Islanders signed recently. He scored 31 goals last season in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and could add a scoring presence to the forward unit as well.
The Islanders have options to replace Pageau and ultimately, it allows them to move on from him this offseason. They don’t need to retool the roster but changes must happen and moving on from the veteran center is a start.
