There’s been a lot of surprising late-summer movement. In case you were off the grid or on vacation recently (good for you if that was the case), here’s a rundown of all the big moves that happened.
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- The St. Louis Blues acquired both Dylan Holloway and Phillip Broberg as they offer-sheeted the restricted free agents (RFAs) and their offers weren’t matched.
- To make up for the Broberg and Holloway losses, the Edmonton Oilers acquired Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks. They subsequently traded Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks for Ty Emberson to open up some cap space.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets traded Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens.
- Rutger McGroarty was traded from the Winnipeg Jets to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Brayden Yager.
- After requesting a trade, Yaroslav Askarov’s wish was granted as he went from the Nashville Predators to the Sharks.
All this movement suggests that the offseason still has a splash or two left in it. The New York Islanders are one of the teams that appear done for the summer and general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello isn’t going to make another big deal, or any move for that matter. That said, the Islanders could open up some cap space for a trade down the road and they have a few options with some teams possessing a lot of it.
Blue Jackets Can Acquire Mayfield
The Blue Jackets have plenty of salary cap room to work with after trading Laine and his $8.7 million yearly cap hit. They are rebuilding and looking to add youth to the lineup and let some of their prospects develop. However, taking on a bad contract could be in play for them, especially if a draft pick is thrown into the deal.
Scott Mayfield is an undesirable player for most of the teams in the NHL. He’ll be 32 years old when the season starts and he’s on the decline, yet has six more seasons left on his contract. Even with all the issues, the Blue Jackets can use a skater to help round out the defense. If Mayfield still has some great play left in him, he’s a worthwhile addition to the roster.
The Islanders would also be happy to have a Mayfield trade done. Moving him would take a bad contract off their books and give them $3.5 million to work with down the road. Sure, they would need to address the third defense pairing but if a prospect like Samuel Bolduc can fill that gap, the team suddenly has the space to fix the bottom six of their forward unit.
Flames Aggressively Strengthen Blue Line
The Calgary Flames are retooling and essentially, traded every veteran on their roster not tied to a long-term contract. With a lot of young skaters playing major roles, this is a team that can go either way this season. Say they overachieve and are having a great season. Suddenly, the timeline changes and they can accelerate things by adding a veteran to their defense. The two players who can play that role are Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock.
Ideally, the Islanders won’t move either defenseman. They are both staples of the unit and pivotal to a successful season. At the same time, Pelech and Pulock have long-term contracts the Islanders would like to get out of, especially if the best hockey from both is in the past.
The question is when would this type of deal, which is a unique one, happen? It wouldn’t happen in the offseason with the Islanders looking to compete and Pelech and Pulock being essential parts of the roster. So, it would likely happen once the season is underway but only if a few things happen. Pelech or Pulock must play great, the Islanders must struggle, and the Flames must be ahead of schedule and playing great. So, it’s unlikely it happens but worth keeping in mind.
It’s also worth noting that if the Flames are continuing to retool, they might take on a Mayfield contract. They’d only do it if they could add a prospect as well but it could be a great move for all sides involved.
Red Wings Add Pageau
The Detroit Red Wings don’t have a lot of forward depth, as surprising as that might sound. Yes, they have a good top six led by the trio of Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, and Lucas Raymond (plus they signed Vladimir Tarasenko) but after that, there’s a dropoff. With this in mind, they should consider adding Jean-Gabriel Pageau to strengthen the middle of the unit.
Pageau is on the decline but is still a valuable contributor. Specifically, he’s a good passer, and centering the third line, he’ll play great defense. It makes him a worthwhile addition for a Red Wings team looking to make a push for both a playoff spot and Cup contention.
For the Islanders, Pageau is the player they’ll want to move if they hope to make a splash at some point, whether it’s before the season or at the trade deadline. With this in mind, a Pageau trade could happen at any point from now until the trade deadline, albeit, a trade deadline move might have a different return depending on where both teams are in the standings.
Islanders Have Other Options As Well
The Islanders aren’t over the cap at the moment. So, they don’t need to move out a skater if they don’t want to (and considering his track record, Lamoriello doesn’t want to). Instead, the Islanders could make a hockey trade where they move Mayfield, Pageau, or another player with a decent contract with another team that has a contract they want to get out of.
Then there are the Anaheim Ducks, who are at the cap floor but are projected to begin the season with $21.7 million to work with. They can take on both Pageau and Mayfield’s contracts and still have $12 million in cap space. Would they be willing to take on a contract? That’s the big question. It’s possible considering where they are in their rebuild as they are looking for more future assets.
The offseason is wrapping up and there aren’t a lot of moves left until the season begins. However, the past few weeks have proved that a trade can still be on the table. All it takes is for Lamoriello to get to work and start moving pieces around to give the Islanders some roster flexibility.
