Fansided

1 trade every NHL team should make

By Dave Stevenson

Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; A general view of the NHL shield logo before the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; A general view of the NHL shield logo before the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Islanders

After a successful 2015-16 NHL season, the New York Islanders have taken a significant step backwards in the 2016-17 NHL season. The worst part? Captain John Tavares is a free agent after the 2017-18 season. This leaves them with two choices. Either the Isles can start rebuilding or they can go all-in for next season. If they start rebuilding, they might as well trade Tavares right now because it’s taking a lot longer than a year.

New York could also try to get their captain to stick around by giving a wing deserving of his caliber. Tavares is an elite center and deserves to have better teammates than the ones he has right now. James van Riemsdyk would be a wonderful addition to the Islanders.

JVR would be a huge upgrade over Tavares’ current line mates. Josh Bailey is a very good defensive forward, but he simply doesn’t bring much to the table on offense. JVR, on the other hand, can definitely provide a lot of offense. He has done so in Toronto despite often not playing with ideal centers.

If this trade doesn’t work out, then the Islanders can start rebuilding. But they owe it to Tavares to at least try to win a Stanley Cup and keeping him would be a huge bonus.

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