NHL trade rumors: Top 3 teams to watch as trade deadline approaches
1. New York Islanders
The New York Islanders keep getting doubted by the masses, yet they keep chugging along. Their season didn’t get off to the strongest start, but head coach Barry Trotz and star center Mathew Barzal have helped his team get their ship back on course. Entering March 24, they’re locked in a battle with the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins for the top spot in the MassMutual East Division.
They were probably already going to look to improve their team at the trade deadline, but with the extremely unfortunate news about captain Anders Lee, who will miss the rest of the season, the Islanders suddenly have a lot of cap space to play with.
Their newfound cap space could help them go after someone like Taylor Hall or Kyle Palmieri. Friedman has them potentially linked to Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings, but he admits that’s a bit of a stretch. Maybe the Islanders revisit their discussions with the Minnesota Wild regarding Zach Parise? Sam Reinhart of the Buffalo Sabres would make quite a bit of sense as well, though he’s an RFA after this season and due for a pay raise.
Next. Firing Tim Peel does nothing to address NHL officiating. dark
Whatever the Islanders do, it’ll probably be something substantial. And if they do something, maybe that gets the Capitals, Penguins, and Boston Bruins to try to match them. For the sake of everyone, let’s hope the Islanders decide to make this trade deadline an interesting one.