The New York Islanders Offseason is Off to a Great Start

The New York Islanders ended the 2023-24 season with several needs in the ensuing offseason. They needed to bolster their prospect pool and find a way to improve with limited cap space. In the early goings of said offseason, Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello has been very successful in those endeavors. 

The 2024 Draft

Heading into this year’s draft, there was heavy speculation that the Islanders would trade their first round pick. Instead, they opted to make the selection and drafted winger Cole Eiserman. This pick was widely regarded as one of the biggest steals of the first round, as Eiserman was projected to be off the board well before the Islanders 20th overall selection. He has the potential to be an elite scorer on the Islanders top six in the future. 

The team also drafted two high upside players with their two second round picks in Jesse Pulkkinen and Kamil Bednarik. Their draft class was rounded up with the selections of Dmitri Gamzin, Marcus Gildof and Xavier Veilleux. Going the route of making the draft selections was a surprising, yet extremely beneficial move on the part of Lamoriello. The Islanders’ weak prospect pool needed a quality draft class like this one in the worst way. 

Day One Free Agency Moves

After a few hours of waiting, the Islanders made two moves on the opening day of free agency. The first marked the return of defenseman Mike Reilly, who signed a one year, $1.25 million AAV contract. Reilly joined the team as a waiver claim and became one of their most important additions last season. He was the kind of puck-moving, offensive-oriented defenseman they had been missing since parting ways with Nick Leddy. Reilly had one of his best seasons as a pro with the Islanders, making his return a big win for both sides. 

The second of their two additions was winger Anthony Duclair, who signed a four year, $3.5 AAV contract. The 28-year-old will be on his ninth different team, offering a quality boost to the Islanders’ goal scoring. Duclair is coming off of a 24-goal season, his fourth season of 20+ goals in the NHL. He’ll fit in well with the Islanders not only because of the goal scoring, but also because of his history playing under Patrick Roy in the QMJHL. That coach-to-player relationship should be a great factor in Duclair’s on-ice success. Duclair also has experience playing with J.G. Pageau from their time together on the Ottawa Senators. The Islanders did well on this deal, bolstering their depth with a player in his prime for a great value. 

Potentially More to Come

With the moves they’ve already made, the Islanders may not be done yet. The Islanders have been rumored to be in the trade market for Nikolaj Ehlers. The 29-year-old left winger from the Winnipeg Jets is coming off a 25-goal, 36-assist season in which he played in all 82 games. This most recent 25-goal season marked the seventh time Ehlers crossed the 20-goal threshold. The Islanders’ interest in him dates back to the predraft period, and it’s not hard to see why. He’s a tremendous scoring presence on the left wing in his prime on a relatively affordable contract. 

There’s also rumors of a potential Pageau trade. With the Islanders rostering six centers, Pageau and his $5 million cap hit suddenly seem somewhat expendable. He could be used as a part of a trade for an immediate roster improvement, such as the aforementioned Ehlers. There is also the possibility that they just trade him for the extra $5 million in salary cap space. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see if the Islanders pull the trigger on moving Pageau and who may join the team in his place if they do. 

Featured image courtesy of NHL.com

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