The Islanders have a lot of players to re-sign and not a lot of money to do so. Thus, Lou Lamiorello made a tough decision Monday afternoon. That decision was a Devon Toews trade.

To limit the players who needed new contracts, Toews was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for 2021 and 2022 second-round picks. The 26-year-old was second amongst Islanders defenseman in points and has cemented himself as a great second-pair blueliner.

But due to the flat cap, the Islanders have no room for him and a deal had to be done. Recently, Toews filed for salary arbitration. This when a restricted free agent (RFA) cannot agree to a contract with his team and a neutral representative serves as a judge to decide the value of the contract. The Islanders were afraid that the judge would settle on a cost outside of the Islanders price range. With another top Islanders defenseman, Ryan Pulock, filing for salary arbitration, one of them had to be traded.

Even without Toews, the Islanders still need to get more money off their hands in order to sign Mat Barzal, Ryan Pulock and others to long-term contracts. One hot name in trade talks is Johnny Boychuk.

The Rangers traded Marc Staal along with a second-round pick to Detroit for “future considerations” to clear his cap space. A Boychuk trade would likely look similar. So, it’s helpful that two second-round picks were acquired on this deal. The Islanders 2021 second-round pick is owned by the New Jersey Devils from the Andy Greene deal. Nonetheless, having five picks in the first two rounds over the next two years is valuable.

Even if these picks aren’t flipped, this is fair value for the defenseman. Sure, the Islanders are trying to win sooner rather than later, but there are some obvious holes in Toews’ game. His turnovers needed to be limited and he isn’t very big or physical for a defenseman. Still, he’s very fast, and provides solid offensive value. With the Avalanche recently trading Nikita Zadorov to the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade where they received Brandon Saad, Toews is a great pickup for them. Colorado certainly won the deal, but New York benefits too.

This is a good trade for the Islanders. It sucks to see him go, but the Islanders have the defensive depth to fill his spot. It would have been hard to keep Toews without losing someone else valuable, so it was a very necessary sacrifice. Whether these draft picks are used or traded, they have value and will help the future of the Islanders. This could easily spark other moves, so keep an eye on Lou Lamoriellos’ moves in the coming weeks.

Ben Kule

Die-Hard Islanders fan and writer from Plainview, Long Island, NY. I have a passion and knowledge for this team and I enjoy sharing that with others