Ahead of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Islanders made a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Islanders received the 20th overall pick, 54th pick, and 61st pick in the draft, in exchange they sent Chicago the 18th pick and the 50th pick. So essentially, the Islanders dropped 2 spots in the first round, 4 spots in the second, and netted an extra second rounder for the troubles. Here is what this deal could mean:
1. Start Building the Farm
The Islanders haven’t made a first round selection since 2019, and since then they haven’t shied away from trading their picks to acquire established NHLers. Which is what we’ve seen Lamoriello do when he acquires Pageau, Palmieri, Romanov, and Horvat. This time could be different, they didn’t trade their pick ahead of the trade deadline, them betting the extra second rounder could be a sign they want to start to rebuild the farm again.
2. Trade for a quality Forward
The Islanders have reported interest in Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, and with reports that a potential price tag for him could be a 2nd round pick, and a mixture of young NHLers and prospects, the Islanders would likely be all over that deal if they could acquire Ehlers for say one of the 2nd rounders, and Simon Holmstrom going the other way. That’s a deal the Islanders would love to make, they’d just have to move out money before that.
3. Use a pick to Dump Cap
TFP has reported that not only could JG Pageau be on the move, but Captain Anders Lee is a player the Islanders will explore trade talks with, and attaching a 2nd round pick to him could make his $7 million cap hit more reasonable to acquire for teams looking to meet the cap floor like Chicago, who the Islanders dumped Josh Bailey’s $5 million cap hit to last summer. If the Islanders were able to move Lee’s money, it opens up some very interesting possibilities, but the chance of that is unlikely as of now.
BS Reports 
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