The New York Islanders have seen their season unravel in recent weeks. They are 4-6-2 with a 1-4 record in their last five games and the pile-up of injuries indicates that things won’t improve in the coming weeks. Believe it or not, there’s discussion about the Islanders adding talent to try to keep their season and any playoff hopes alive.
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The best move isn’t to buy. Instead, they should start trading away some players, especially ones on expiring deals. The one who stands out is Kyle Palmieri who is an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this offseason and one of the team’s best forwards. If the season continues to unravel, he will be moved at the trade deadline – but the Islanders can’t wait that long. They must move him now.
Islanders Should Sell High on Palmieri
Palmieri is having a great season and is arguably the best player on the Islanders so far. He has five goals and nine assists and on Brock Nelson’s wing, he’s formed the de facto top line that can help the offense make games close. He’s always been a great scorer but has also stepped up as a playmaker and this season appears like the last one that he’ll be one, at least for the Islanders.
The Islanders have a handful of skaters heading to free agency, notably Nelson and Palmieri. With Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov also requiring new contracts as pending restricted free agents (RFAs), Palmieri is the odd one out and expendable. He’s 33 years old and with a big season in the works, this is the perfect time to trade him.
A lot of teams will want Palmieri if he is put on the trade block. Shooters like him are hard to find and his skillset easily translates to any roster as he takes advantage of open looks and opens up the offense from the wing. For teams that are hoping to make a deep playoff run, adding a scorer like him will go a long way and it’s why he will be sought after from now until the trade deadline.
Palmieri’s Value Only Goes Down From Here
The second a player becomes available and is put on the trade block, their value starts to go down. It’s like purchasing a car, it goes down in value the second it leaves the dealership and hits the road. Players with multiple seasons left on their contracts receive greater returns than rentals. Likewise, a player with months left on their contract instead of a few weeks is huge. It’s the difference between an extra draft pick or a prospect in the deal.
The Islanders can’t wait until the trade deadline to move Palmieri. Sure, it’s easy for them to make the argument that they are looking to compete when they are still struggling, but the waiting game doesn’t help them in this case. If they wait until the deadline, they’ll end up moving Palmieri for pennies on the dollar.
The good news is that general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello operates on a different schedule, something fans saw firsthand when he acquired Bo Horvat during the 2023 All-Star Break. He doesn’t wait to get big trades done and conversely, he’ll sign players to contract extensions late in the summer. He makes his moves when fans least expect him to. So, if Palmieri is traded, it might happen well before the deadline.
Palmieri Will Bring Back a Decent Return
He’s not a star like Horvat, Elias Lindholm, or Jake Guentzel and won’t bring back three pieces in a deal as a result. However, Lamoriello can get two pieces in a Palmieri trade, especially if he’s available now. Ideally, the Islanders trade him for two prospects but at the very least, they can get one prospect who can make the NHL roster by the end of the season.
Making this move early also gives the Islanders more time to rebound. If they add a prospect or two, they can also add youth to the lineup and have a new look for the rest of the season. Sure they’ll lose a top scorer but they’ll have a roster that will play better in the long run.
In the end, a Palmieri trade is the best way for the Islanders to get back on track. Even if they can’t make the playoffs this season, a move will add youth to the lineup and this team needs it. The aging group is going nowhere and they must change it up and the best way to do that is with a big trade or two.
Why Islanders Won’t Trade Him
Trading Palmieri essentially tells the fanbase that this team is punting on the season. Yes, the Islanders are in a downward spiral, and waiting until the deadline only delays the inevitable but this trade signals that the season is a lost cause. Moreover, it points to the Islanders being sellers at the trade deadline and the value of other players on the roster will decline because of it.
It’s also worth noting that Lamoriello doesn’t rebuild and he’ll do whatever is needed to avoid doing so. He keeps pushing this team to contention and will do so until it’s clear that the Islanders are nowhere near a playoff spot. It’s not just Lamoriello. The ownership group wants to see a competitive team and avoiding a rebuild or even a retool means a lot to them.
The Islanders are watching their season slip away and a rebuild is starting to look more inevitable. That said, they won’t let that happen from the top down. Trading Palmieri is the best move and will allow the Islanders to still field a competitive team in the near future without a teardown, but it’s unlikely that will happen.
