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Over the past week, the New York Islanders’ defense corps has been battered by injuries.
Adam Pelech is out for four to six weeks with an upper-body injury, while Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly are listed as day-to-day.
Romanov and Reilly could return soon, but Pelech’s absence leaves a big void on the left side of the Islanders’ blueline. On Saturday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported they’re believed to be seeking help for their depleted defense.
The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner noted the Islanders have $9.95 million in cap space with forwards Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair on long-term injury reserve. However, he proposed the Isles look at affordable short-term options.
Rosner listed Erik Gustafsson of the Detroit Red Wings and Brendan Smith of the Dallas Stars as some of his suggested trade targets. He pointed out they’ve been in and out of the lineup for their current clubs thus far.
With the way #Isles D looks today, Pulock playing on his off-side and the bottom D-pair not likely to play much—we’ll see—we could see a trade or waiver-wire pickup like we saw last season with Bortuzz/Reilly.
From this morning @TheHockeyNews:https://t.co/hY0ZktCCtt
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) November 3, 2024
Despite the Islanders’ LTIR wiggle room, they must ensure they have sufficient cap space for when Duclair returns in three weeks and when Barzal returns in December. That’s why they must consider cost-effective options.
The Athletic’s Arthur Staple made a similar observation when making his list of trade targets. He noted that GM Lou Lamoriello couldn’t make a major addition without shipping out salary in return.
Staple mentioned Cam Fowler of the Anaheim Ducks might be available. However, his $6.5-million cap hit through next season means Lamoriello would have to part with one of his top four defensemen in return.
Fowler has a four-team trade list, but it’s believed he’s willing to widen it. There’s no guarantee the Islanders would be among his preferred destinations.
Staple suggested Jon Merrill or Declan Chisholm of the Minnesota Wild and Scott Perunovich of the St. Louis Blues. All three carry affordable cap hits of under $1.3 million.
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Related: Woeful Islanders Now Without Barzal and Pelech As Lackluster Season Continues To Unfold
Related: NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest Trade Talk On The Avalanche And Maple Leafs
