When the NHL Trade Deadline came on February 24, the Islanders were a decent team. The defensive structure was still sturdy, and it was supplemented by adding Andy Greene in a trade with the Devils to replace the injured Adam Pelech. Their goalie rotation of Semyon Varlamov and Thomas Greiss was also one of the better tandems in hockey, but their offense still needed more. Although Mat Barzal, Jordan Eberle, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson were solid pieces, those players can be hot and cold for stretches. With the team only having three complete lines, the first, second, and fourth lines, the Islanders needed to make a splash to make their team more well rounded, and to do that they made a trade with the Ottawa Senators for Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

When the deal was made, the price seemed staggering. The Islanders gave up a first-, second- and third-round pick in the deal, and it seemed like an overpayment for a rental at the time. However, Lou Lamoriello and Pageau immediately began talks on a contract extension, and by day’s end they reached an agreement on a six year, $30 million contract. It was a huge move for the Islanders to not only lock up a big deadline add, but to round out their team to be more complete than it was before.

His start with the team was decent. Even if he may have struggled at first to find chemistry in a new environment, he still scored two goals in his first two games on Long Island. However, seven games into his tenure, COVID-19 hit and shut the league down for over four months. Once the NHL’s return to play began, he seemed much more settled in and it shows.

He was a key difference-maker in the team’s qualifying round series against Florida. He scored goals in three of the four games in the series, and his play was one of the main reasons the team was able to move on to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In round one against Washington, Pageau again looked very good with three points in five games.

Pageau has always been touted as a playoff performer, and that has been on full display so far this postseason. His two-way style of play has been crucial to the Islanders’ structure, and they can now roll four lines consistently by contrast to earlier in the year. No matter who he has been playing with, he plays a very well-rounded game, and he has been one of the team’s best players so far this postseason.

The aforementioned break has also helped him to settle into the new environment. He has continued to connect and bond with his teammates on and off the ice, and it he has become a larger part of the Islanders organization. He not only won the team’s “Boys of the Isle” ping pong tournament in the bubble, but also felt immersed in the team and its culture.

“I feel very lucky to be a part of this family,” Pageau said. “I really feel like this is a brotherhood and to be a part of it, I feel very lucky.”

As a result, Pageau has proven to the team why he was not only traded for, but extended for the long-term future. He has been one of the team’s best players thus far in the postseason, and his play has endeared itself to the players and coaches. He has become a fan favorite and has helped the Islanders to become a more complete team moving forward. With the Islanders looking to continue to roll deep into the playoffs, he has a chance to continue to etch his playoff legacy, and New York has a chance to take advantage of that fateful trade now and in the future.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.