Revisiting Trade Options with the New York Islanders

To Catch Up:

The Sabres are open to moving the ninth overall pick for the right situation

2025 Team Trade Breakdown: The Islanders may be on track for a rebuild

In addition to what Chad has reported, there have been multiple suggestions that the Islanders are looking to get a second lottery pick for the opportunity to have a shot at drafting Long Island native, James Hagens, in addition to whoever they select with the number 1 overall pick.

This image of Mathieu Darche playing for the 08-09 Portland Pirates doesn’t have to do with the rest of the post, but it made me chuckle. Carry on. (Via Icethetics)

While there are other teams in the top 10 that may make similar calls, the Sabres are the team with the most urgency to add to their roster for a jump into the playoff conversation this year. If the Islanders are looking to hit the reset button, it could mean new GM Mathieu Darche looks to move some of the contracts that were signed under the old regime as part of creating his own foundation for the organization alongside their fortunate draft lottery climb.

While we won’t revisit Anders Lee and Noah Dobson in this post (thankfully it’s embedded at the start for you, dear reader), there are some other names that could fit with the other tea leaves that have been brewing over the past month and a half.

The Letter P

It’s no secret that the Sabres would like to have a different looking blue line come the fall, starting with the interest in the trade market that Bo Byram has generated this spring. There are a handful a teams that have inquired with a plethora of options for the Sabres front office. With this being said, this opportunity with the Islanders could open up a wider range of returns for Byram where they could provide the defenseman to slot into the spot opened up by other deals.

The pairing of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock was the most commonly deployed on the Islanders in many of the last handful of seasons, including last season, since they both entered the league in 2015-16. Each now 30 years old, the combination of experience and contracts each worth less than $6.5M cap hits feel like very strong candidates as a long term steady partner for the likes of Owen Power.

Of course, each of the two defensemen have trade protections in their contracts, but with the pitch being able to have that role alongside a number one overall pick entering prime, it could be a very good first challenge on the job for Eric Staal in the reported liason role between players and front office, especially in a scenario where even with the struggles and the drought, the Sabres could end up with better odds than the Islanders to be a playoff team in the next couple of seasons if the Islanders are indeed entering a rebuild. (Wishful thinking? Maybe, but if the 9th pick is in play…)

Man when was the last time we saw a defensive heat map like that in Buffalo on the blue line (Dahlin did get close this year)? It definitely reads like a defensive anchor prototype to pair with a guy like Power.

On the Pulock side, he had a fairly substantial drop off last season, which is a big reason why it feels like if a top 10 pick is on the table, he would not be the target. While the Sabres could buy low and bet on a bounceback in his age 31 season, five seasons of term is tough to accept if last season is a sign of the rest of his 30s. It’s the same reason to believe that Scott Mayfield will probably still be playing on the island for the next five years too.

But if it’s not Pelech…is there a different call being made?

Mathew Barzal

There are conflicting reports about the availability of Mat Barzal ahead of this offseason, and while from the outside looking in, it feels unlikely that this is the trade being discussed, it’s worth taking a closer look (again, 9 being on the table changes things).

The now-28 year old Barzal has conflicting numbers offensively with the advanced stats between Evolving Hockey and HockeyViz models, his defensive impacts are still propelling him towards very sturdy value as a top line center, even in only a 30 game sample in an injury-shortened 2024-25, having put up a point per game the season prior.

The injuries have piled up throughout his career, with last season being the most unfortunate with a major knee injury, which is probably the biggest concern that would create hesitance towards this being the use of that draft pick. He also has plenty of trade protection and would be the highest paid forward if he joined the Sabres, but if he is able to overcome durability concerns, he could be a very ideal guy to play with Tage Thompson, or at least compliment him by being the top piece on a second line.

As Chad’s report alluded to, there are multiple teams in conversations with the Sabres involving the 9th overall pick in the draft, and the Islanders have a couple of options themselves in finding another top 10 pick, so it might just be an exercise in futility to be speculating what the calls are for, but it does feel like there are stars that could align between Mathieu Darche and Kevyn Adams over the next week in the lead up to the draft.

(Photo Credit: NBC Sports)

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