May 24, 2024 | 3:28pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com
DO THE ISLANDERS HAVE MORE UP THEIR SLEEVE?
Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello
New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello completed a trade on Friday that caught the attention of hockey pundits across the League, swapping first-round and second-round draft picks with the Chicago Blackhawks and gaining an additional second-round pick in the process.
Armed now with two second-round picks in next month’s NHL Draft, speculation has already started to swirl over what else Lamoriello and the Islanders have in their bag of tricks.
The Islanders were reportedly dangling centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau during the season and are believed to be doing the same this off-season in an attempt to create extra salary cap space.
In his Monday column, TFP’s David Pagnotta wondered if Islanders captain Anders Lee could also be available as the Isles look to free up some money. Lee has two years left on his contract and comes with a $7 million cap hit, while Pageau has a $5 million AAV over the next to seasons.
Pageau owns a 16-team no-trade list as part of his contract, while Lee’s 15-team no-trade list kicks in July 1.
In past seasons, the Islanders have moved out players like Andrew Ladd and Josh Bailey, adding draft picks to the deals as sweeteners to free up cap space. Moving Bailey and his $5 million cap hit last summer cost the Isles a second-round pick in 2026, while dealing Ladd in July 2021 cost Lamoriello two second-round picks and a third-round pick.
Lamoriello is not believed to be done exploring the trade market and could continue to move back in the first-round if his is able to secure another draft pick, which could then be used to flip to another team as part of a deal that takes on a contract.
The Isles are also interested in Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers, according to Pagnotta on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, and could try to utilize the extra dollars to add him or another scoring winger to the lineup this off-season.
Ehlers, who is entering the final year of his contract, comes with a $6 million salary cap hit and owns a 10-team no-trade list.
The Islanders currently have $6.287 million in salary cap space going into the 2024-25 campaign.