New York Islanders General Manager and President of Hockey Operations, Lou Lamoriello, spoke to the media last week to inform the public that team captain Anders Lee will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. This was news most were anticipating after Lee inadvertently collided with New Jersey Devils forward Pavel Zacha in the first period of their game on March 11th. Lee was aided by teammates Jordan Eberle and Ryan Pulock as he skated off Nassau Coliseum ice for the final time of his career.
After a relatively down season in 2019-20 that saw Lee post his worst goal total since 2015-16, the unquestioned leader of New York’s group was off to a stellar start to the year. 12 goals and 19 points in 27 games, which is a pace of 36 goals and 57 points in a full 82 game regular season. The loss of the captain leaves a huge void in the locker room, but also on the left side of the team’s number one center Mathew Barzal. The line of Lee-Barzal-Eberle has been relied on heavily by coach Barry Trotz for the majority of his tenure on Long Island. Courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, the trio has dominated play at even strength in 2021, accounting for a CF% of 58.64 and xG% of 65.00.
Rookie Kieffer Bellows initially stepped in to fill the void of Lee, and the line didn’t miss a beat, as Bellows scored 3 goals in 2 games in New Jersey. But it is clear that Trotz has not been fond of his overall game, as the 22-year old has found himself back in the press box as a healthy scratch. Leo Komarov and his 2 points in 16 games skated in that spot the last two games, which has further emphasized how significant the loss of Anders Lee truly is.
“Whatever we can do to make ourselves better, we will be doing that. It certainly changes our focus”, said Lamoriello addressing the impact Lee’s absence will have on the upcoming trade deadline. From several credible sources, the Islanders are eager to acquire another top 6 forward into their lineup, and with Lee’s salary moving to LTIR, the Islanders have about $5.5 million in space to work with. Given the salary cap situation heading into 2021-2022 with Adam Pelech, Anthony Beauvillier, and Ilya Sorokin all needing new deals at season’s end, the Islanders are more inclined to bring in a rental at the deadline as opposed to a player with term left on their contract. Now the question is, what name available is the best fit to join the Islanders on their run.
Taylor Hall
The rental market for forwards is headlined by the Buffalo Sabres winger Taylor Hall. Hall signed a 1-year $8 million deal with Buffalo in October, and it is safe to say things have not gone as planned for either party. The team is on a massive losing streak that saw Head Coach Ralph Kreuger lose his job. With the unlikelihood of Hall wanting to stay and extend with Buffalo, General Manager Kevyn Adams is likely to move him before he bolts in free agency. On the ice, it has been a pretty disappointing start to the year for Hall, just 2 goals and 16 points in 29 games for the former MVP of the league. Those numbers obviously don’t jump off the table as someone the Islanders need to acquire, but the body of work with Hall has been there for a decade now, and I don’t expect him to continue to shoot at a 2.8% pace the rest of the season.
The questions surrounding Hall’s overall team game and inability to win have intensified due to the Sabres struggles. I am not so sure that you can blame what’s going on in Buffalo on Hall, but there seems to be the narrative in the hockey world that he isn’t a winning player. That being said, there is no doubt Hall would be a fantastic fit on the line with Barzal and his former teammate in Edmonton, Jordan Eberle. While he may not be the absolute force that Lee is around the crease, Hall brings an element of dynamic skating that paired with Barzal and Eberle, could be a problem for opponents to deal with at 5 on 5.
I don’t have too many concerns about how Hall would integrate into the Isles locker room. By all accounts, they are one of the most cohesive groups in the league; consisting of a strong mix of young and veteran guys that have been battle-tested through the ups and downs together with this organization. We all saw how J.G. Pageau was able to fit into the culture so seamlessly that it feels like he’s been an Islander for years. What bringing in Hall would do to the team’s chemistry is a non-issue for me with how driven and motivated this group is given the events of last summer’s playoff run.
Other deadline targets upfront that the Islanders may take a look at are New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri, Nashville’s Mikael Granlund, and Nick Foligno of the Columbus Blue Jackets. While none of those three are flashy names such as Hall, they are certainly upgrades that can provide some scoring in the Isles top 9 and should not cost a whole lot to bring in. The NHL trade deadline is less than three weeks away, and with the on-going battle for positioning in the East Division, the time to make a move is now for the New York Islanders.
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