On April 8, the Islanders picked up Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac in a trade with the New Jersey Devils. The Isles could have pursued 2018 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall, but likely felt Palmieri and Zajac were better fits. The Islanders needed to add some weapons to help replace Anders Lee, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury on March 11. But was this the right move for the Islanders to make?

Prior to Zajac and Palmieri coming to the Islanders, Palmieri had eight goals and nine assists through 32 games with the Devils and Zajac had seven goals and 11 assists in 33 games. Both players were scoring about a point every other game.

With the Islanders, however, Palmieri only had one goal and two assists through 13 games and Zajac had only two points in 10 games. Both players have had trouble producing since arriving on Long Island. Could the Isles have done better?

Other East Division Acquisitions

The top four teams in the MassMutual East Division that clinched a playoff spot made a move at the trade deadline to better their team, and their acquisitions are meeting expectations.

The Boston Bruins acquired Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres. Through 11 games with the Bruins, Hall is scoring at nearly a point-per-game rate, with five goals and five assists.

In an unexpected move, the Washington Capitals acquired Anthony Mantha from the Detriot Red Wings in exchange for Jakub Vrana and some draft picks. Mantha has found his game in D.C., with six points through 10 games.

The Pittsburgh Penguins added Jeff Carter from Los Angeles Kings. He brought veteran leadership as well as goal-scoring ability to Pittsburgh, scoring four goals and two assists in 11 games.

Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac

Meanwhile, Palmieri and Zajac have combined for a total of five points, the least among major East Division deadline acquisitions. It is too late to say that the Islanders should have traded for Hall or any other player. The Islanders need to use what they have to their advantage, and Palmieri and Zajac need to start contributing.

Travis Zajac has shown his ability to play on the top line with Mat Barzal, even though he only scored one goal. He can also contribute on the penalty kill and sub in when a regular forward is out of the lineup.

He did that in the two-game series against Buffalo. Zajac replaced J-G Pageau in the first game and Barzal in the second. However, he’ll have to prove himself over Leo Komarov, who seems to be Trotz’s favorite on Barzal’s left wing.

Kyle Palmieri has played in all 13 games since the trade. The Islanders got him for his goal-scoring ability, but outside of a single power-play goal, it hasn’t come yet. Nevertheless, he’s strong on the forecheck and seems to have found a comfortable position on the third line. Still, the Islanders need more from the primary portion of an expensive trade deadline package.

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Playoffs

Yes, sometimes it takes longer for players to adjust to new teams. However, both Palmieri and Zajac are experienced veterans and have the opportunity to play on a top-10 team in the NHL, as opposed to one that’s among the bottom-five. They need to start producing if the Isles want to have home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

But there’s reason to be optimistic. When the Islanders acquired Pageau last season, he only scored twice in seven regular season games. But he scored 10 points during the Islanders’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Hopefully, that’s the same story for Palmieri and Zajac.

At the end of the day, the Islanders need more from Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac with playoffs around the corner.

Jacob

Writer for Drive4Five covering the New York Islanders.