The New York Islanders are in the middle of a rough patch, now 13 games into the season. Still, fans expect a deep cup run. But for the Islanders to not only get a deep playoff run but win the Stanley Cup, they might have to make a trade to fill some gaping holes exposed during their 5-6-2 road trip. Here are some trade targets for the New York Islanders.

Samuel Girard

After Game 6 in the western conference semifinals, many Colorado Avalanche executives were not happy with how Samuel Girard played in that series. Although he picked up five assists in 10 games for the Avalanche last playoffs, he struggled immensely on defense against the Vegas Golden Knights. Ever since that series, there have been rumors swirling that he might be traded. That would be difficult considering he’s locked up until 2026-27 at $5 million per season, but it could happen.

The opportunity for the Islanders to acquire Girard at the deadline is an interesting case. While Girard doesn’t possess Adam Pelech or Scott Mayfield-like defensive prowess, he is still an upgrade over Zdeno Chara. It will be a challenge to get Girard’s contract under the cap, but he is a good defenseman that should definitely be on the Islanders’ radar as the season progresses.

Mark Giordano

Even if Mark Giordano is an older defenseman, he is still a serviceable fifth defenseman. The Seattle Kraken don’t look like they will be in playoff contention, and will most likely be selling at the trade deadline to acquire more draft picks. Giordano is in the final year of his contract and might not be re-signing in Seattle.

There is a concern about age (he’s 38), but adding a defenseman is key for the Islanders to make a cup run. By trading for Giordano, he would, and should, replace Chara as the sixth defenseman and Trotz will finally be able to reunite Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock since he won’t need to worry as much about Giordano’s game. Giordano paired with Scott Mayfield would be a great pairing to have as a team’s third defensive line.

Rickard Rakell

Ever since being drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2011 NHL Draft, many NHL experts expected Rakell to become a top scorer in the NHL. That hasn’t panned out as many Ducks fans hoped, but he has still been a serviceable depth scorer. So far, Rakell has four goals in eight games played for a surprisingly good Ducks team. If the Ducks can’t sustain this early-season success, they will be looking to sell off some players who are not in their plans for their future. Rakell is prime trade bait as he’s 28 years old and will be losing his spot on this team as more young players from the Ducks’ farm system come up to the NHL.

Rakell had been on the trading block for a while as the Ducks haven’t made the playoffs since 2018. If the Islanders can strike a deal for him, he could replace Zach Parise and be a quality depth scorer on the third line.

Jack Kobil

Hi, my name is Jack Kobil. I am currently attending Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington DC. I am a huge Islanders fan and I love to share my passion for this team.