Anaheim Ducks center Adam Henrique (14) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
As of the All-Star break, the New York Islanders are still considered buyers ahead of the 2024 NHL trade deadline, which comes on March 8 — though one might have to zoom out just a bit to see that.
The Islanders have won just two of their last 11 games (2-7-2) and are just 1-2-1 under new head coach, Patrick Roy. But the “blueprint” is being developed and the early returns are promising enough to suggest that a legitimate playoff push awaits on the other side of the break.
Of course, that changes if the January swoon extends into February. Then you’ll see the Islanders potentially unloading a few players. Names like Cal Clutterbuck, Kyle Palmieri, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Samuel Bolduc, and Oliver Wahlstrom first come to mind.
For now, the Islanders need depth on the wings that are capable of not only playing the “200-foot game” that Patrick Roy is preaching but can also provide the skill and aggression needed to fit the new head coach’s philosophy.
Blue-line help is also vital for a team that was already without one of its top defensemen, Ryan Pulock, who has been on LTIR before Adam Pelech took Brendan Gallagher’s illegal elbow to the head last week.
Adding a top-four defenseman would allow the Islanders to stop the constant swapping of borderline help, whether that be Bolduc or Sebastian Aho.
Team president and general manager Lou Lamoriello has struck for big deals around this time of year. Exactly one year ago during the All-Star break, he pulled off one of the biggest moves of the season, acquiring Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks.
Here are six names that could be a fit for Lamoriello this time around:
Adam Henrique, C, Anaheim Ducks: The 33-year-old Henrique is a Lamoriello guy having been drafted by the executive with the…
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