3 Offseason Traps the Islanders Must Avoid

Will they make a move for an elite scorer? What about adding a playmaker or strengthening the bottom six? If the Islanders aren’t going to be aggressive and look to add, maybe they trade away some older skaters.

The Islanders, despite possessing a roster with minimal room from a salary cap standpoint, have options and the hope is that general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello makes a big move one way or another. The question is what moves would backfire? There are a few on the table this offseason but they are the ones that Lamoriello must avoid.

Making a Trade For Mitch Marner

This is a move the Islanders, along with a lot of teams, will consider. The Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated in the first round and after firing head coach Sheldon Keefe, it looks like changes are coming and one of those changes may be a dismantling of their “core four.” Mitch Marner has a no-movement clause but with one season left on his contract, he could be on the move with the hopes of signing a big deal elsewhere.

The Islanders would love to have Marner in their lineup. He’s a top-line winger who can both create scoring chances and find the back of the net himself. The possibility of him playing alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat is something fans can only dream of and could make the offense tough to stop.

The problem is that a move for Marner would hurt the Islanders more than it would help, largely because of the return the Maple Leafs would demand. The price tag for a player of his caliber is three pieces at the very least and the Islanders, a team with a depleted farm system and minimal draft assets, would have to give up an NHL-ready player as part of the deal. On top of that, the subsequent extension for Marner would force the team to part ways with other key players on the roster and an already top-heavy team would only become moreso. At the right price, it’s a trade worth making but that’s a big and unlikely if.

Signing Sam Reinhart

Sam Reinhart is someone Lamoriello would target as he checks a lot of boxes for the long-time GM. He’s a scorer who has a nose for finding the net and he heads to free agency following a career-best season. He scored 57 goals and is coming off two 30-goal seasons, both of which came after he resurrected his career following the three-year deal he signed with the Florida Panthers.

The Islanders need scorers and Lamoriello always looks to add them but Reinhart’s a player who would set them back. While he’s impressed in recent seasons, the big issue is that he’s just a scorer and lacks versatility, something the forward unit desperately needs. Sure, Barzal can provide him with plenty of scoring chances but Reinhart won’t open up the offense or find skaters in the offensive zone.

Reinhart also is the definition of a trap signing. He could age gracefully and be a valuable addition to any offense but he’s banking that a breakout season will bag him a big payday. A team will pursue him by offering a big contract with a lot of term and there’s a great possibility things go downhill afterwards. The Islanders could fall into that trap and suddenly, would have to find a way to maneuver around a seven-year contract where the player, in this case Reinhart, has a lot of control.

Making a Push For Stamkos

It’s hard to see Steven Stamkos in any other jersey other than a Tampa Bay Lightning one. Yet, he heads to free agency and that’s what could happen. He’s a leader in the locker room and still playing at a high level but at 34 years old, he’s on the decline and it makes any contract he receives this offseason a risky one.

My colleague Anthony Russo makes the case for the Islanders to sign him. Stamkos, on his way to having a Hall of Fame career and with extensive playoff experience and two Stanley Cup titles to his name, would immediately impact the power play, a unit that has become a weakness in recent seasons. It’s intriguing to add him with the knowledge that he’ll upgrade a unit, at least in the short term, but the last thing this team needs is another veteran on an already-aging roster on the decline. A lot of free agents will do that to the Islanders regardless but adding one of the older players available is playing with fire.

Moves the Islanders Must Consider Instead

The player everyone will pursue this offseason is Jake Guentzel. He’s a free agent who was traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline and with the Hurricanes out, many teams are sure to be in on the elite scorer. The problem is that the Islanders possess minimal cap space to work with and Lamoriello would have to jump through hoops to sign Guentzel as a result.

With the Winnipeg Jets looking to modify their roster, the Islanders could pursue Nikolaj Ehlers. He’s battled injuries in recent seasons but is a great scoring threat on the wing, making him a player worth pursuing. The best thing about a move for Ehlers is that the price won’t be as high as the other scorers on the trade block, making him someone they could reasonably target.

The other option is for the Islanders to make some trades. Jean-Gabriel Pageau is in his 30s and starting to decline but they can trade him to help reset their roster. Pageau, while not as valuable as he used to be, is a middle-six center a contender would look to add to strengthen their roster depth.

Is there a move the Islanders could make this offseason that would likely backfire? Let us know in the comments section below!