Islanders Made Mistake Trading Devon Toews
It has been 483 days since the New York Islanders traded Devon Toews to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick. Looking back, it was a big mistake for the Islanders to trade Toews.
Why Did the Islanders Trade Toews?
During the 2020 offseason, the Islanders were up against the salary cap and had to make a trade to re-sign restricted free agent (RFA) Mathew Barzal. It essentially came down to trading Toews or Nick Leddy, and the Islanders chose to trade Toews. He was also an RFA looking for a pay raise and coming off two good seasons with the Islanders, he had good trade value.
Not only did the Islanders make the wrong decision trading Toews, they got fleeced by the Avalanche. The Islanders at least should have gotten a first-round pick in return for Toews. The Islanders should have also considered other players to trade, like the aforementioned Leddy. Considering the Islanders traded him to the Red Wings in July, the Islanders could’ve pulled the trigger a year earlier.
Looking the player that Toews has become, it is very hard to justify the trade. Being paired with Cale Makar has made Toews an elite defenseman. Although it is often a controversial stat, Toews is second in the NHL, behind only with Ryan Hartman, in +/- with a +31 rating. Not to mention, Toews is on pace to have career highs in goals, assists and points. He currently has 32 points, putting him 11th among NHL defensemen. No Islanders’ defenseman has more than 17 points.
While keeping Toews would have been difficult, there were ways to keep him. It is unfortunate for the Islanders not to find other ways to both keep Toews and re-sign Mathew Barzal. The decision to trade Toews is actively hurting the Islanders as they are facing issues with their defensemen and their ability to produce offensively.
If the Islanders had a time machine, one of the first things they would do is undo the Toews trade.
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.
