New York Islanders fans were already trying to put last season’s trade deadline behind them. The rest of the NHL, though, keeps dragging that memory right back into the spotlight.
This week, the New Jersey Devils and new general manager Sunny Mehta landed 24-year-old forward Luke Evangelista from Colorado in a deal built around Colorado’s 2028 first-round pick and a second-round pick. With Colorado usually sitting near the top of the league, that first-rounder is expected to land late. Evangelista, meanwhile, is coming off a 56-point season, carries a $3 million cap hit and is just entering his prime.
That kind of return makes the Islanders’ Brayden Schenn trade look even harder to swallow.
Mathieu Darche sent Jonathan Drouin, prospect Marcus Gidlöf, the No. 29 pick in the first round and a third-round pick to get Schenn, who is 35, has a $6.5 million cap hit and produced 39 points last season.
From an asset-management standpoint, that’s a tough one to justify.
The Islanders gave up a player they signed in free agency, a real prospect and two draft picks, including a first-rounder, for an older player who costs more and scored less. The Devils, by contrast, just turned a similar kind of pick package into a younger, cheaper player who put up 17 more points.
The Schenn deal was already getting second looks when it happened. The Devils’ move just sharpened the contrast.
There’s also the cap side of it, and that may be the part that stings just as much. New Jersey opened up room by moving Ondrej Palat and his $6 million cap hit in February, giving itself the flexibility to swing again.
Darche hasn’t shown much sign that he plans to do the same with the Islanders’ underperforming contracts. If those players stay where they are, the Islanders are basically opting to live with the cap inefficiency this season instead of finding a way to clear space and improve the roster around them.
That’s why the frustration keeps hanging around. It isn’t just that the Islanders made one expensive mistake. It’s that every time another team flips similar assets into younger, cheaper and more productive talent, the comparison gets harder to ignore.
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Islanders Transition Plan Could Decide How Fast This Roster Changes
Mathieu Darche has made it clear the Islanders are in a transitional phase, but not the kind that calls for tearing everything down or fast-tracking every young player at the first sign of promise. The general manager said the organization is trying to balance present-day competitiveness with the long view, leaning on a veteran core while also creating room for prospects to grow into larger roles at the right pace.
That approach matters because New York has loaded up on premium draft talent in recent years and now has to decide how quickly those players should start influencing the roster. The Islanders still believe they can battle for a playoff spot this season, which makes the timing tricky: there is a real incentive to stay competitive now, but also a clear need to avoid forcing young players into the NHL before they are ready. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders May Already Have Their Biggest Blue-Line Boost In House
Alexander Romanovs return is starting to look like the kind of internal upgrade the Islanders have been waiting for on the blue line. General manager Mathieu Darche said the defenseman has been back on the ice for three weeks after missing most of last season with a shoulder injury, and the early signs are encouraging. Romanov also looks lighter, and the team believes his presence could meaningfully strengthen a defense that needed help.
For the Islanders, the appeal is obvious: if Romanov can get back to being a steady, physical option, it changes the shape of the back end without requiring outside help. Darches update suggests the organization is optimistic about where Romanov is headed, but the real question is how quickly he can turn that progress into a regular-season impact once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Palmieri Enters Islanders Camp With One Huge Question
Kyle Palmieri arrives at Islanders camp with a familiar kind of weight on his shoulders, only this time it is not about production alone. The veteran winger is expected to be back in the mix after missing the rest of last season, and his status matters on a team trying to sort out roles under a new coach while still getting value from experienced forwards who can do a little of everything.
What makes Palmieri especially worth watching now is how much hinges on what comes next. He is headed into a contract year, and the Islanders have to decide not just how he fits in the lineup, but whether his place on the roster looks the same once camp opens and the decisions start getting made in earnest. [Read more 🡒]