Is a trade the best option for Islanders and Josh Ho-Sang?

Four years after being a first-round pick for the Islanders, Josh Ho-Sang has yet to stick on the roster. Is a fresh start the best choice for both sides?

Josh Ho-Sang was the 28th overall pick for the New York Islanders in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, and despite showing promise since making his debut with the team, he hasn’t been able to stick and once again failed to make the team out of camp heading into this season. Needless to say, both sides are getting frustrated with one another.

In an interview with the New York Post, Ho-Sang said that he felt like the new management of Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz had already made up their minds on what kind of team they wanted and didn’t give him much of a look in the preseason.

“I felt like they had their minds made up on what was going to happen and what the team was going to look like,” Ho-Sang said. “It’s OK. They had the whole summer to plan that. I don’t know if you watched any of the games, but I didn’t play a lot. It’s OK. It is what it is.”

Ho-Sang also voiced his frustration with not even getting top-six minutes down in the AHL, despite the expectation being that he should be a top six forward in the NHL.

“They tell me they want me to be a top-six forward up there, but I’m not a top-six forward down here, so it’s confusing,” he said “Sometimes, it’s like you’re sprinting with a rubber band on. You constantly have tension. You run until you’re exhausted and then the band is going to pull you back. If I was going to say anything, it would be just watch. I’m just pointing it out.”

In nine games this season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Ho-Sang is yet to score a goal and has just four assists, along with a concerning -8 rating. It’s likely frustration that’s been affecting Ho-Sang’s play, because it’s not like he can’t compete at the AHL level. His defensive game is well noted to need a lot of work, but his offense needs to give the Islanders no choice but to call him up.

So with clear frustration from both sides, maybe the best choice for both sides is a fresh start for Ho-Sang with a team willing to give him a shot? The Islanders probably don’t like Ho-Sang taking his frustrations to the media, and a trade would improve Ho-Sang’s morale while opening up room for a player with a clean slate while getting some assets in return for a potentially failed project.

There are plenty of possible trade destinations if the Islanders decide to move on from Ho-Sang, but one that does make a lot of sense is the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said in the offseason that they could be planning to swap a defensive prospect for a forward prospect, and they’re almost completely deprived of right wing prospects. The Islanders desperately need defense as bad as any team in the league, so there could at least be a discussion between the two about a possible deal.

Another team that could work would be the Los Angeles Kings in order to finally get some young speed into their aging lineup. If Ho-Sang wants a shot in the NHL right now, perhaps the Edmonton Oilers could be a trade partner with their dire need of talent on the wings.

It’s hard to picture what a Ho-Sang trade would look like considering the situation. He’s shown flashes of incredible talent and could turn into a solid NHL player, but clearly something is up if he can’t make an Islanders team that could use an infusion of youth. Let’s say Washington does make a deal for him; could it look like Madison Bowey and a mid-round draft pick? Would it be more when considering what Ho-Sang could turn into? Could it be less considering the risk they would be taking in a prospect who can’t seem to figure it out?

A trade is most likely not incoming right this moment, but if this continues you have to imagine both the Islanders and Ho-Sang will be ready to just move on. There’s clearly a rift, and the Islanders might as well get something that could be more useful to them than wasting more energy on a project doomed to fail. Also, with another high pick in Michael Dal Colle looking more and more like a bust, maybe it’s the Islanders that are the problem here.