A few big extensions were handed out this week and lucrative ones at that. Seth Jarvis signed an eight-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes and in case the average annual value (AAV) on that wasn’t wild, the Edmonton Oilers extended Leon Draisaitl with an eight-year deal with a $14 million AAV.
Related: Grading Oilers’ Monster Contract Extension for Leon Draisaitl
The 2025 free agency class was shaping up to be a historic one from a talent perspective. It doesn’t look that way anymore with Draisaitl, Jaccob Slavin, and Pavel Buchnevich, just to name a few, already signing extensions. With Mitch Marner and Sidney Crosby likely to sign extensions as well (although it’s always worth monitoring), the 2025 talent pool looks thin and there aren’t many game-changing stars who will be available.
That said, there are still a few big names to watch out for. This brings us to the New York Islanders who can not only add a star to their lineup next offseason but look to acquire one in a trade at some point during the season, especially if they are looking to take a good roster over the top.
Mikko Rantanen
Mikko Rantanen can be placed in the same category as Draisaitl, Marner, Crosby, and Slavin. Specifically, he’s too good for the Colorado Avalanche to let him test the free agency market and he’s a cornerstone of the franchise. On top of that, the team will be in a position to contend throughout the season, and as a result, they won’t actively look to trade Rantanen.
However, if the Avalanche struggle this season, they will look to move on from their star winger to help reset their roster. They are a top-heavy group and at some point, they must wonder how far they can go with only four skaters carrying them. Sure, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Rantanen can cover up glaring weaknesses and make the Avalanche a playoff team but they can’t lead them to the Cup. Moving on from Rantanen will still provide them with a core to build around but also give them more salary cap space to have plenty of roster depth.
The Islanders would have to give up a lot for Rantanen and then work out a subsequent extension. Bo Horvat cost them three pieces and Rantanen will do the same as the Avalanche would want young NHL-ready players in return along with prospects. Moreover, the contract Rantanen will receive will force the Islanders, a team already pressed against the cap, to move out some players to fit him on the roster. He’s still worth the price.
Rantanen will do it all on the Islanders. With 262 goals and 355 assists in 570 games, he proved he can create scoring chances on the wing and also find the back of the net himself. More importantly, he’s a player who can carry the team in a playoff series as he can adjust and win in multiple ways. A top line consisting of Mathew Barzal, Horvat, and Rantanen with a second line of Kyle Palmieri, Brock Nelson, and offseason addition Anthony Duclair seems too good to be true (so there’s probably no scenario where it happens).
Jakob Chychrun
Jakob Chychrun is the player to watch as he can be available at any point this season. The big trade involving him was at the 2023 Trade Deadline when the Ottawa Senators acquired him for a haul but they had to cut their losses in the 2024 offseason and they traded him to the Washington Capitals. Chychrun is a free agent at the end of the season and if the Capitals, who were a fringe playoff team last season, are out of contention, he could be on the move again.
The Islanders have two reasons to be cautious about acquiring Chychrun. While the price tag won’t be overwhelming, it will still be high as the Capitals will demand at least two pieces in a trade. Then there’s the player himself who despite the talent, isn’t a needle-mover. He played for two terrible teams and couldn’t make them competitive and if the Islanders aren’t good enough, he won’t help much either. The bottom line is that they can and should only make this move if they look like a playoff team but need that player to take them to the next level.
The Islanders can go from good to great with Chychrun as he checks a lot of boxes. He’s a two-way defenseman who moves the puck up the ice, something the unit struggles to do outside of Noah Dobson. With the defense starting to age, Chyrchun can also be one of the young skaters to build around along with Dobson and Alexander Romanov. Additionally, he’s a defenseman who can take the Islanders to the next level in the playoffs as he can open things up from the point and set up the offense to find goals when they are hard to come by.
Nikolaj Ehlers
It was a surprise that Nikolaj Ehlers wasn’t traded this offseason as his name was constantly linked to deals throughout the summer. Rutger McGroarty was moved to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but Ehlers remains on the Winnipeg Jets and heads into this season on an expiring contract.
Ehlers has battled injuries in recent seasons, missing 20 games in the 2021-22 season and 39 games in 2022-23 but last season proved why he’ll be a top target. He played in all 82 regular season games and scored 25 goals and 36 assists; he was a great playmaker and scorer on the wing. He’s a top-six player that teams looking to make a push for the Cup love to have and if the Jets take a step back this season, he’ll be the one they’ll look to move for a decent return.
The Islanders can use a skater like Ehlers on the wing, especially if he plays alongside Barzal and Horvat (while Duclair moves to the second line). With him in the lineup, the forward unit will be tough to stop and the offense will be one of the best in the league. He might not be at the same level as Rantanen but he’ll still be a significant upgrade for the team.
Brock Boeser
Last season was a career-best for Brock Boeser as he scored 40 goals, 11 more than his previous best mark, and added 33 assists which was the second-most in his career. The Vancouver Canucks will want to keep him on their roster as one of the star players to build around.
Considering they were one of the best teams in the NHL last season, it’s hard to see them moving Boeser as they try to make a push for the Cup. However, a lot went right for the Canucks and they overachieved. A few things going wrong and turning against them can see them out of the playoff picture.
The Canucks and Islanders were trade partners a few seasons back with Horvat being part of that big blockbuster during the 2023 All-Star Break. They could be trade partners again and this time with a scorer on the wing being on the move. Islanders general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello loves to add scoring to the lineup and Boeser fits that mold. Where he plays on the forward unit is a different question but he’d certainly upgrade the offense and make it capable of fueling a playoff run.
Other 2025 Free Agents the Islanders Can Target
John Tavares making his return to the Islanders would be something. It’s unlikely to happen as he will likely retire with his hometown team, but the Toronto Maple Leafs no longer consider him their captain and are slowly changing how the roster looks, so he may be traded. The Islanders welcoming him back would be quite an awkward experience but if he helps them win, it will be easy for fans to overcome eight seasons of spite.
The Florida Panthers are a team to monitor if they regress. It’s unlikely it will happen considering they look like a juggernaut in the Eastern Conference and are the reigning Stanley Cup champions but they have a handful of big-name 2025 free agents. Aaron Ekblad is one of the best defensemen in the league while Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett are both remarkable forwards who can fuel a deep playoff run.
The Islanders need everything to fall in place to make a splash this season. Yet, with some big names heading to free agency, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if they take a run at one elite player to help them go on a deep playoff run.
