The trade deadline is fast approaching, and the Islanders have already made their mark on the open market. On Wednesday, April 7, the Islanders acquired Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the New Jersey Devils for prospects Mason Jobst and A.J. Greer, a first round pick and a conditional fourth round pick. The trade is huge for the Islanders’ offensive core, as they added a goal scorer to fill the Anders Lee void and a strong middle-six forward. While this move will all but complete the Islanders’ offensive puzzle down the stretch, the most pressing question goes as follows. Will the Islanders acquire a defenseman?

While Noah Dobson recently returned from a brief absence due to COVID-19, his absence showed that he is a key piece to their blue line. After Dobson went out, the structure looked off as they looked to find a replacement; Sebastian Aho struggled, despite a goal in his first game. That said, Thomas Hickey rose to the occasion in his absence. However, with these games, it leaves a question as to what should the Islanders do with that position.

Standing Pat:

For starters, the Islanders can go the obvious route, where they trust the defensemen they currently have. Even though the Islanders do not have Johnny Boychuk on their depth chart anymore, they still have a few backup options from which to pick if one of their starting defensemen becomes unavailable. To start, there is Hickey, who played in his first NHL games since 2018. Even with the large gap between his appearances, he did not look out of place at all, avoiding costly errors quite well. Although Aho struggled a bit in his playing time, there is a strong case to give him another chance at such a young age. Kieffer Bellows used his second chance in March rather productively, so Trotz might experiment in the same way with Aho.

While the options may not be that great, they are good enough for players who are not everyday starters. Both of them have proven themselves at some point at the NHL level, so the experience factor is there. In fact, either one of them can come in as an occasional substitute for 38-year-old Andy Greene in case Trotz wants to sacrifice experience for speed. With the right-hand options set, the Islanders certainly have enough to supplement the left-hand side if a starter goes down.

Potential Targets:

While New York has Hickey and Aho, two players who can fill in at any time, they are both left-handed. Furthermore, acquiring a right-handed man for that front is crucial if a right-handed defenseman suffers an injury. To that end, the Islanders should now focus their attention on picking up that right-handed defenseman for depth.

The market at the moment for rental, right-handed defensemen is very slim, but one option stands out: David Savard of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a 30-year-old blueliner with 10 years of NHL experience under his belt. While his numbers may have taken a bit of a hit this year––only one goal, five assists and a rather ugly -19 rating––he will not be a mainstay in their lineup, and a new system can do wonders for him. His cap hit of $4.25 million will put the Islanders slightly over their remaining cap of $4 million, but the Islanders could always package a contract back to Columbus in a probable deal. Other pending UFA’s the Islanders could target include Michael Stone of the Flames and Mark Pysyk of the Dallas Stars, as both of them have several years of NHL experience and have contracts that fit into the Islanders’ cap at the moment.

While other names can very much be in play, those are rentals that the Islanders can likely get at a fair price. However, whether it is a rental or multi-year addition, the Islanders can easily benefit from adding one more defenseman to their depth chart. If any of Noah Dobson, Scott Mayfield, or Ryan Pulock were to get injured, it would be difficult for the Islanders to manage a two-lefty pair. As a result, the main targets may not be the flashiest players, but the Islanders evidently should keep all options on the table to bolster their defense before Monday’s deadline.

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.