The NHL trade deadline is just under a month away. The Islanders hot streak has brought them from the depths of irrelevancy back to playoff contenders. The Isles play has likely changed general manager Garth Snow's game plan.
The Islanders sit three points back of the Philadelphia Flyers with three games in hand. They also have cut down the amount of teams ahead of them from seven to two.
Commissioners love parity. Gary Bettman is no different. All but two franchises, the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche are out of contention. Neither team will dump players for just anything. The Avalanche are in salary-cap hell. The two players who have been mentioned as possible trade options for the Islanders are Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog. Neither player has no-move clauses and make $6M and $5.5M respectively. Duchene was taken two picks behind John Tavares in the 2009 draft. I don't think he is the answer to play on Tavares' wing. If a move is made for Duchene, the most likely spot would be second-line center. Landeskog would be the better fit for the first line.
The price for either is very steep and the Avalanche can wait until the draft to make a move. Should the Isles blow their socks off with an offer before the deadline? The answer is yes.
The first piece to the Isles offer is Travis Hamonic, who has become expendable with the emergence of Adam Pelech. Since Hamonic since been out, Nick Leddy has also looked like a new player. Jack Capuano had the two together up until Hamonic's injury and it was disastrous. Just another reason for Cappy's downfall. In 37 games, Leddy has five goals, 11 assists and a minus-12 rating. In the ten games that Hamonic has been out, Leddy has three goals, eight assists and a plus-seven rating. Moving Hamonic would also change the way the team handles the expansion draft. But that's a conversation for another time.
Adding another piece to this deal would be a first-round pick. This team stockpiles first-round picks like someone keeping canned food in a bomb shelter. They can afford to have a season without one especially a non-lottery pick. The Islanders have three first rounders (Ryan Pulock, Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle) who are in Bridgeport, 2015 first rounder Mathew Barzal in Seattle and 2016 first rounder Kieffer Bellows playing at Boston University.
The last piece to this deal would likely be a prospect. The Islanders have untouchables. Pulock, AHL all-star Devon Toews down in Bridgeport and 2015 first-rounders Anthony Beauvillier and Barzal. Ho-Sang has had a rocky first year professionally. I don't think would be enough. That leaves Michael Dal Colle. The fifth overall pick in 2014 has eight goals in 41 games for the Sound Tigers this season. Dal Colle has a big upside.
March 1 will tell a lot about Snow's future. If they are within the same amount of points as they are now and he is willing to make a splash, something he has not done since the 2007 deadline, his future could be in doubt. It could be playoffs or bust for the former goaltender. If he sits back and adds another bottom-six forward or even nothing, he would likely return.