Over the weekend, some Islanders fans — and even journalists — proposed the Islanders trade Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, Robin Salo and a first round pick for Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. It’s an awful idea.

Via the No Sleep Till Belmont, @StapeAthletic suggests if the #isles are to make an offer for cost controlled Jacob Chychrun, it’ll likely cost something like Beauvillier, Räty, Salo, & a first.

Goes on to say that’s a move they should make, & I tend to agree.

— James Nichols (@JamesNicholsNYI) January 6, 2022

The weakest position on the Islanders’ roster is left defense. Adam Pelech is a star, but Andy Greene is serviceable and Zdeno Chara shouldn’t even be in the lineup at all. Salo could fill a top-four role in the future, but the Islanders are trying to make the playoffs. A team in that position would be willing to sacrifice a prospect for an established player in the same role.

The problem is that the Coyotes would demand much more than Salo to make this trade happen.

Beauvillier would be the main roster piece going the other way. The 24-year-old has had a rough start to the year with only nine points in 25 games. He went 14 games without a point from Nov. 6 to Dec. 16 and was a healthy scratch Dec. 11 against the Devils. The Islanders believe he can be a top-six forward, but he hasn’t been able to replicate his 21-goal sophomore season or even his 21-assist campaign from 2019-2020.

If it were just Salo and Beauvillier, it wouldn’t be so bad. But Raty and the first-round pick are dealbreakers. Raty is arguably the Isles’ top forward prospect. He’s scoring at over a point-per-game pace with Jukurit in the Finnish Elite League. If not for a disappointing 2020-2021 season, he might’ve been the first overall pick in last summer’s draft. The Islanders were incredibly lucky to snag him 52nd overall.

Then there’s the first-round pick. If the Islanders can’t turn their season around, that pick will be in the top-10. That will likely give Arizona two picks in the top-10 in what should be a deep draft. Sure, the Islanders can attach a condition that defers their pick to a subsequent year, but who knows what will be next year? The Islanders don’t have many free agents this summer so they’ll ice a similar roster next year barring any trades. If this season’s iteration of the Islanders can’t make the playoffs, who’s to say next year’s will?

But let’s not forget who the Islanders are acquiring. Chychrun, 23, has put up incredible numbers in the past. Last season, the 16th overall selection in the 2016 draft had 41 points in 56 games, including 18 goals. However, he has struggled so far this season, only scoring seven points in 26 games. Perhaps it’s because he’s on the worst team in the NHL, but that’s discouraging nevertheless. Still, Chychrun brings incredible offensive instincts to a blue line in desperate need of some puck movers.

The Islanders haven’t had a left-handed puck-moving defenseman since they traded Nick Leddy to the Detroit Red Wings over the summer in a salary cap dump. Noah Dobson has elevated his offensive game and has looked like the replacement the Isles needed. Giving him a quality defense partner could do wonders for the team.

However, it would come at the expense of offense, something the Islanders need even more. The Islanders have scored 2.3 goals per game, third-worst in the NHL while their 2.57 goals against per game is 11th best. Sure, Chychrun can score from the back end, but the Islanders would be wiser to seek out talented forwards to round out their lineup.

The Islanders’ core forwards have been inconsistent this season. Mat Barzal is on an eight-game point streak, but he hasn’t looked the same without Jordan Eberle on his right side. J-G Pageau and Anthony Beauvillier have been streaky. Although Josh Bailey has been productive lately, he still only has one goal this season. Kyle Palmieri has been awful, and head coach Barry Trotz even flirted with keeping him on the bench once he returns from injury.

If the Islanders are going to make a trade, especially one involving the aforementioned assets, it better be for a forward.

Ben Baruch

Born and raised on Long Island. Isles fan since 2009. Studying journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.