As Jordan Eberle is set to become a member of the Seattle Kraken, there is much discussion as to why the Islanders chose to leave their first-line winger unprotected. The Islanders ultimately chose to protect the fourth line forwards Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck over the former 22nd overall pick. So, why did the Islanders let Eberle go?

Ultimately, the decision made by Islanders’ President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello comes down to who is more intangible for the Islanders: Jordan Eberle or the fourth line?

The Islanders fourth line, or “identity line,” which includes Martin, Casey Cizikas and Clutterbuck, has been crucial to the Islanders’ recent success. A big advantage that the Islanders have and one of the reasons they have been to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals the last two seasons is the teams’ ability to roll all four lines.

Islanders’ bench boss Barry Trotz is comfortable rolling all four lines and having the fourth line out on the ice in pressure situations. Unlike most teams who have to shorten their bench a lot during key moments in the game, the Islanders’ know that they can rely on the “identity line” to be efficient in the offensive zone, be reliant on defense and occasionally score a big goal. Lamoriello also must be pretty confident that fourth-liner Cizikas will re-sign if he is protecting his linemates.

Although Eberle has been clutch for the Islanders in big games, he does tend to disappear at times. In the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Eberle scored in Game 4 and Game 5 and then did not record another goal until Game 5 of the Boston Bruins series.

Then, Eberle went scoreless in the following six games and did not record another goal until Game 6 of the Tampa Bay Lightning series. There’s no doubt that Eberle is an extreme talent, who has an excellent aptitude for the game, and a significant clutch gene to score goals in big moments; however, Eberle fails to be consistent.

Ultimately, it does not make much sense to protect him over breaking up the fourth line. Although Eberle is exceptionally skilled and talented, he is more easily replaceable than the fourth line. With the Kraken likely to select Eberle, the Islanders have around $23 million in cap space and can now sign a big-name free agent.

Ethan Halle

Ethan is an Economics Major at the University of Florida looking to pursue a double major in Sports Management with a minor in political science.