The NHL Trade Deadline is rapidly approaching and there will perhaps be no bigger player than the New York Islanders. With an enigmatic general manager and a first place roster (somehow) the Isles are in shap to make a splash. The New York Islanders will be players by Monday’s NHL Trade Deadline. There is almost no debating that. The Islanders are in a predicament, if you could even call it that. While the Isles are on a roll, and sit atop one of hockey’s hardest divisions, the Islanders need to do something. The dilemma is that a big reason why the Islanders are in the spot they are in is because Head Coach Barry Trotz has done a brilliant job with what he has. The Islanders didn’t make many splashes this offseason that were note worthy. However, all of them worked out in different ways. The Islanders are simply great with whatever they have. But on the other side of the spectrum, the Islanders still might be lacking the firepower to be a true threat in the entirely different demon that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Isles are getting away with a lot right now, but might need the scoring threat to get over hump this season. They shouldn’t let a first place run rot away because they failed to get better when everyone else around them was aggressive. Want your voice heard? Join the Empire Writes Back team! Write for us! While, none of the above are bad scenarios to have, they both revolve around being a first place team, that does not mean the Islanders do not have decisions to make. While myself and the rest of the Islanders fan base should have full trust in Lou Lamoriello and his savage ways, it is still fun to guess what they will do next. So, let’s play a little game. While it is safe to assume the Islanders won’t be selling any of their current first team talent at the deadline, that would send a bad message, they still have upcoming free agents that could go. So, here is my little deadline game. Let’s pick one player the Islanders could sell at the deadline, one player the Islanders should buy at the deadline, and one player the Islanders should keep. Please note, this only applies to the Islanders team. Not any of their prospects who are otherwise fair game this deadline, also I am leaning towards focusing more on free agents, not long-term guys making Mathew Barzal off-limits in terms on “keep one.” Let’s start with keep one.<doc-sep>The New York Islanders signed veteran defenseman Dennis Seidenberg to a one-year, pro-rated $700,000 contract on Sunday, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli. The Isles signed Seidenberg to a professional tryout to start the season and he's been practicing with the team at home ever since, according to Newsday's Andrew Gross. The 37-year-old brings plenty of experience to the table, having played in 859 regular season games and 69 playoff contests during his career. He won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011. Seidenberg skated in 28 games with the Islanders a year ago and recorded five assists.<doc-sep>Share this Story: Islanders 4, Canucks 0: Metropolitan leaders take over in a New York minute Islanders 4, Canucks 0: Metropolitan leaders take over in a New York minute The Canucks faced the top team in the Metropolitan Division while chasing the pack in the wild-card hunt Photo by Gerry Kahrmann / PNG Article content The New York Islanders, who were supposed to be rebuilding this season, sit in first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Vancouver Canucks, who were also supposed to be rebuilding this season, sit in fifth in the Pacific Division and their playoff hopes are now officially on life support. But look at the bright side. Clearly, the Canucks understand the concept of rebuilding better than the Islanders. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Islanders 4, Canucks 0: Metropolitan leaders take over in a New York minute Back to video Here’s what else we learned from the Saturday night special between the ’82 Cup finalists, which ended with a 4-0 Islanders’ win, the last on an empty-netter by Cal Clutterbuck. Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Coach of the year Islanders head coach Barry Trotz is the overwhelming favourite to win the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL’s coach of the year. But when asked about the Islanders’ success this season, Trotz pointed towards the team’s locker room — which, of course, is one of the reasons he’ll be the coach of the year. “I don’t think we’re working miracles,” Trotz said. “The young men in the room have gotten it done. We’ve given them a plan and some structure. Hopefully we’ve given them some confidence. But they follow the plan.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Trotz added his team has been playing with a chip on its shoulder since losing face-of-the-franchise John Tavares in free agency over the summer. “There’s more to the Islanders than just one man,” Trotz said. They certainly made believers out of the Canucks. Territorially, there wasn’t much to choose between the two sides, but from the moment Casey Cizikas wedged a rolling puck over Jacob Markstrom five minutes in, this one seemed like a foregone conclusion. The Islanders might be lacking star power in Tavares’s absence, but they have depth and quality throughout their lineup and play Trotz’s system fully and completely. Photo by Gerry Kahrmann / PNG Cizikas, the fourth-line centre, has 17 goals on the season. That would place him fourth on the Canucks. On the Islanders, he’s one of eight players in double digits. Defenceman Ryan Pulock made it 2-0 later in the first when he blew a slapper past Markstrom off an extended delayed penalty. And from there, the Isles turned things over to their team game, goalie Robin Lehner and the whims of the hockey gods. In the second period, for example, the Canucks outshot the visitors 15-3 but had bupkes to show for it. They managed to hit two posts and have another bid cleared off the goal line by Isles defenceman Scott Mayfield. They also went 0-for-3 on the power play in the frame, including a 24-second five-on-three. “I thought that was our best power play sequence in a long time tonight for chances and getting guys towards the net,” Bo Horvat said. “We dumbed it down a little bit tonight and simplified it.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content But the bottom line was the same. “Very frustrating,” Ben Hutton answered when asked about the mood in the Canucks’ room. “I thought the second period was very tilted in our favour. We’ve got to find a way to put pucks in the net if we’re going to make the playoffs.” Anthony Beauvillier iced the game with a goal early in the third, converting a three-way passing play with Josh Bailey and Valtteri Filppula, who comprise the Islanders’ third line. All three players have scored at least 12 goals this season. Lehner, meanwhile, stopped all 36 shots in recording his fourth shutout of the season. “They should be frustrated,” head coach Travis Green said of his troops. “Why wouldn’t they be? They played a pretty good hockey game and they lost.” Photo by Gerry Kahrmann / PNG Injury news gets better The Canucks received some better news from the injury front when Alex Edler and Thatcher Demko practised with the team prior to Saturday night’s game. Neither suited up against the Islanders, but when asked if Edler might be ready for Monday night’s meeting with Anaheim, Green said: “I hope so.” “They’re closer than they were a week ago,” Green added. Nikolay Goldobin, meanwhile, made one of his periodic appearances in the Canucks’ lineup. Since dressing for the first 29 games of the season, Goldobin has been a healthy scratch nine times in the last 2 1/2 months. Still, if he’s discouraged by his situation, he does a good job of hiding it. “I don’t know about the future,” he said. “I’m just living day by day. I want to stay here. I love this place.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content As things transpired, Goldobin was one of the Canucks’ more visible forwards. Playing on a line with Bo Horvat and Josh Leivo, he had three shots on goal in just under 20 minutes of ice time and was in the middle of a bunch of scoring chances, all of which ended in predictable fashion. “I thought it was one of Goldy’s better games this season,” Green said. “If he plays like that every night he’s a good player.” Ryan Spooner started the game playing with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser and ended the game stapled to the bench. Photo by Gerry Kahrmann / PNG Slip sliding away Ten days ago, the Canucks sat in eighth place in the West.<doc-sep>Calgary Flames @ NY Islanders, 5 PM MT, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale NY TV: SNW Radio: Sportsnet 960 Calgary Flames 39-16-7 (85 pts) - NY Islanders 36-18-7 (79 pts) NHL Standings The Flames second game of a three game road trips sees them visiting the NY Islanders Tuesday night. Calgary has been one of the NHL’s best lately, having won five in a row. The Flames are the top team in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference, holding leads of three points over the San Jose Sharks in both the division and conference. Calgary spent Monday’s trade deadline making phones calls, but in the end the prices appeared to be too rich for the Flames’ blood and they made only one minor deal. Calgary added LA defenceman Oscar Fantenberg for some depth on the blue line, but that was it for Calgary on the day. Not much has really changed for the Islanders since these two last met with NY going 1-1-0 in their two game since losing to the Flames 4-2 back on February 20th. The Islanders took the trade deadline in stride and did absolutely nothing. NY, much like Calgary, accessed the trade market and the prices involved and decided to keep their team as is. Can you blame NY? The Islanders have been the surprise of the 2018-19 season with their solid defence and spectacular goaltending. If ain’t broke, why try and fix it? As we mentioned before the Flames took the only meeting of these teams this season 4-2 at the Saddledome last week. Calgary hasn’t played well over the years when visiting the Islanders, owning a 19-31-9 record when visiting the island. In their last eight visits to the Islanders home rink the Flames are 2-6-0. Starting Goalies (E=Expected, C=Confirmed) Flames: Smith (E): 18-11-2, 2.95 GAA, .895 Save% Islanders: Lehner (E): 19-9-5, 2.07 GAA, .931 Save% Team Leaders Flames: Goals- Gaudreau (30), Points- Gaudreau (79), PIM- Bennett (81), Save%- Rittich (.912) Islanders: Goals- Lee (21), Points- Barzal (51), PIM- Lee (54), Save%- Lehner (.931) What’s Happening With The Opposition? NY Islanders Coverage: Lighthouse Hockey Last Time Out Calgary Flames 2 - Ottawa Senators 1 NY Islanders 4 - Vancouver Canucks 0 Players To Watch Calgary Flames Austin Czarnik (C): 6G - 4A, 4 goals in last 5 games NY Islanders Josh Bailey (F): 13G - 33A, 6 points in last 5 games<doc-sep>
The 2019 NHL trade deadline is here. The New York Islanders are said to be big players at the deadline, who are they targetting, what are their options, and what can we expect? At the 2018 NHL trade deadline, the New York Islanders were seven points out of a playoff spot. Their approach to the trade deadline was quite different than it will be in 2019. In 2018, they wanted to make the playoffs but weren’t willing to break the bank to try and do so. That’s why at last season’s deadline, the New York Islanders swapped Chris Wagner for Jason Chimera with the Anaheim Ducks. Then Garth Snow called up old buddy Peter Chiarelli in Edmonton to acquire defenseman Brandon Davidson for a third-round pick. A year later, Lou Lamoriello is at the helm of the New York Islanders and his team is a lock for the playoffs with 79 points from 61 games and sitting two points at the top of the Metropolitan Division. The plan is different than it was just a year ago. Now the plan for the New York Islanders is to increase their talent pool by buying a big name player. One that can hopefully help them push deep in the playoffs. Available Targets Of who’s still available on the trade block Ottawa Senators Mark Stone and Florida Panthers Mike Hoffman are the two big targets for the Islanders. Stone is an elite two-way winger in the NHL that can control the pace of play and put up a point-per-game, while Hoffman is a pure goal scorer. Netting 26 goals already this season, and never falling below 22 goals in a season. Both provide exactly what the New York Islanders need. Extra scoring in the top six. They aren’t the only names out there, but they represent the two better options for the Islanders now that Matt Duchene and Artemi Panarin are off the block. Stone won’t come cheap. It seems that Ottawa wants a similar package to the Duchene deal; four pieces. Hoffman, with a year left on his deal, would probably be a cheaper option. That extra year on his deal also means the Isles don’t have to worry about fending off potential suitors in July if they acquire him. What Does Lou Do? But it all comes down to what will Lou do? Will he go for it and pay a hefty price to bring in Mark Stone for a few months and then give him a huge free agent contract? (He should). Or will he refuse to pay inflated prices, keep his prized assets, and take a run at one of these players (like Stone) in July when free agency comes around? Lou has the option of doing nothing. We know that Lou is fine if nothing is added at the deadline. His team is still in first place after all. But when the second line for the team is Komarov-Barzal-Kuhnhackl, there’s a clear need for top six support. There are only hours remaining until the 3 pm deadline. I believed that the Islanders would add Matt Duchene. With the way the news was trending it felt like a deal had to be coming. And then, of course, that wasn’t the case, with Duchene going to Columbus. So now I don’t know what to think. I desperately want the Islanders to add Mark Stone. I firmly believe he’s the perfect type of player for their style of play and to fill the need that they have in the lineup. But with the asking price set at a Matt Duchene level who knows if Lou is willing to meet Ottawa’s demands. (He should. Mark Stone is a better player than Matt Duchene in my opinion.) My prediction is going to be about as lame as possible. I believe he will add a player to the roster. But I don’t think it’s going to be a big name. That’s just me going off of reports circulating around the hockey universe. But with the way Lou runs his shop none of that is definitive. No one actually knows what Lou is doing. We’re all waiting with baited breath. The New York Islanders are in first place in the Metropolitan Division with only a month left in the season. The playoffs are all but a guarantee, and the Islanders have a glaring need in their lineup. The hope is Lou can fill it before 3pm EST.