There have been a lot of surprising moves in late summer, and if you’ve been unavailable or on vacation recently (good for you if you have), here’s a rundown of all the big moves that have taken place.
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- The St. Louis Blues signed both Dylan Holloway and Phillip Broberg when they solicited offers from restricted free agents (RFAs), but their offers were not matched.
- To make up for the losses of Broberg and Holloway, the Edmonton Oilers signed Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks. They then traded Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks for Ty Emberson to create some salary cap space.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have traded Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens.
- Rutger McGroarty was traded from the Winnipeg Jets to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Brayden Yager.
- After requesting a transfer, Yaroslav Askarov’s wish was granted and he moved from the Nashville Predators to the Sharks.
All of this movement suggests that the offseason still has a few highlights in store. The New York Islanders are one of the teams that seem to be done for the summer, and General Manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello isn’t going to make another big deal or any move at all. Still, the Islanders could free up some cap space for a trade in the future, and they have some options, as some teams have a lot of them.
Blue Jackets can sign Mayfield
The Blue Jackets have a lot of salary cap space after trading Laine and his $8.7 million annual salary cap hit. They are rebuilding and want to bring young players into the lineup and develop some of their talent. However, taking on a bad contract could be a risk for them, especially if a draft pick is included in the deal.
Scott Mayfield is an unloved player for most teams in the NHL. He will be 32 when the season starts and is on the decline, but has six seasons left on his contract. Despite all of these issues, the Blue Jackets could use a player to complete the defense. If Mayfield still has some big plays left in him, he’s a worthwhile addition to the roster.
The Islanders would also be happy to trade Mayfield. If they trade him, a bad contract would be off their books and they would have $3.5 million to work with going forward. Of course, they would have to address the third pairing on defense, but if a talent like Samuel Bolduc can fill that void, the team suddenly has the cap space to fix the bottom six of their forward unit.
Flames aggressively strengthen the blue line
The Calgary Flames are regrouping and have essentially traded away every veteran on their roster that isn’t tied down to a long-term contract. With many young players playing important roles, this is a team that can go either way this season. Assuming they exceed their expectations and have a great season, suddenly the schedule changes and they can speed things up by adding a veteran to their defense. The two players who can play that role are Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock.
Ideally, the Islanders will not trade either defenseman. They are both important cornerstones of the team and crucial to a successful season. At the same time, Pelech and Pulock have long-term contracts that the Islanders would like to get out of, especially if both of them have had their best performances in the past.
The question is, when would this unique deal come about? It wouldn’t happen in the offseason, as the Islanders want to be competitive and Pelech and Pulock are important pieces of the roster. So it would likely happen once the season started, but only if a few things happen. Pelech or Pulock have to play great, the Islanders have to struggle, and the Flames have to be ahead of their schedule and play great. So it’s unlikely to happen, but it’s worth keeping in mind.
It’s also worth noting that if the Flames continue their restructure, they may take on a Mayfield contract. They would only do it if they could also sign a young player, but it could be a great move for everyone involved.
Red Wings Add Page
The Detroit Red Wings don’t have a lot of depth at forward, as surprising as that may sound. Yes, they have a good front six led by the trio of Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond (plus they signed Vladimir Tarasenko), but there’s a drop-off after that. With that in mind, they should consider adding Jean-Gabriel Pageau to bolster the middle of the unit.
Pageau is on the decline, but is still a valuable player. In particular, he is a good passer and will play great defense as a third-line center, making him a valuable addition to a Red Wings team looking to compete for both a playoff spot and the Cup.
For the Islanders, Pageau is the player they want to trade if they want to make a splash at some point, whether it be preseason or at the trade deadline. With that in mind, a Pageau trade could happen any time from now until the trade deadline, although a trade at the trade deadline could yield different returns depending on where the two teams are in the standings.
Islanders also have other options
The Islanders are under the salary cap right now, so they don’t have to trade a player if they don’t want to (and given his track record, Lamoriello doesn’t want to). Instead, the Islanders could do a hockey trade where they trade Mayfield, Pageau, or another player with a decent contract to another team whose contract they want to get out of.
Then there are the Anaheim Ducks, who are on the lower end of the salary cap but are projected to enter the season with $21.7 million. They can take on both Pageau and Mayfield’s contracts and would still have $12 million in salary cap space. Would they be willing to take on a contract? That’s the big question. It’s possible, considering where they are right now in their rebuild as they look for more future assets.
The offseason is coming to an end and there aren’t many transfers left to make before the season starts. However, the last few weeks have proven that a transfer is still possible. Lamoriello just needs to get to work and start moving players around to give the Islanders some roster flexibility.
