New York Islanders Roundtable: Good Return for Halak
Nov 1, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) stops a shot in front of Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) and New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey (14) during the third period at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
New York Islanders goalie situation has been once again thrown into disarray thanks to mega-agent Allan Walsh’s twitter comments. Can we get anything for Halak?
Carrying three goalies doesn’t sound like a logical thing for an NHL team to do. But for some reason, the New York Islanders have done so for the second straight year.
And for the second straight year Jaroslav Halak is voicing his displeasure about the situation in Brooklyn. Or at least his agent is doing the talking this time.
Those comments were seemingly enough to have GM Garth Snow send out 29 emails with: “Fair Conditions Jaro Halak Available for Trade”.
We asked Eyes on Isles staff writers what they thought would be a fair return for Jaro? What could/should the Islanders look to get for our seemingly number one netminder?
At the moment the Islanders might just need anything but a top line center, and maybe a number one defenceman. Outside of that, any spot is up for grabs.
Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Mathew Barzal poses with team executives after being selected as the number sixteen overall pick to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Lizza
Word on the street is that Garth Snow is willing to move Jaroslav Halak. The question is what is Garth looking for in return? Ideally, the Islanders could package Halak with a talented young forward to land a proven top six goal scorer. But that in all likelihood is not realistic.
The Islanders have plenty of depth on the blue line (run eight deep) as well as their forwards. The Islanders won’t be looking to get a goalie back in the deal because they’re looking to get down to two goalie’s with J.F. Berube taking over the backup role.
So what does that leave the Isles?
I think what the Islanders are looking at is adding more depth to the organization, freeing cap space for in-season trades as well as next season and acquiring more assets for the trade deadline.
At the end of the day, Snow is looking at teams such as Ottawa and Arizona (if they are interested) and acquiring a future draft pick (2nd or 3rd round pick) and a good prospect.
May 1, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars right wing Valeri Nichushkin (43) skates against the St. Louis Blues during game two of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. The Blues win 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Farrell Hirsch
A good return for Halak? It would be good for him to return to the third round of playoffs this spring. It would be good for him to return to being a dependable reliable starter. It would be good for him to return to the form he showed in the World Cup last month.
As far as what would be palatable in a trade, I think the Isles should look big picture. Nobody is going to knowingly hand you what you need in return for Halak — a star player.
So either go with the slightly less impossible theory of packaging Halak with something valuable (de Haan, Lee, draft picks) to get a first line player, OR think of what asset he could return that might have value to a team with an all-star to unload.
So for instance, if Dallas offered Nichushkin and Oleksiak and a goalie as a salary dump, I’d consider that.
The Isles are worse in the short run. But maybe Nichushkin has value to a rebuilding team. Maybe Oleksiak makes trading a defender easier. I don’t see any reasonable “good return” in the short run. So a “good return” is one that would hopefully fuel a better move in the near future.
Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Anthony Beauvillier puts on a team jersey after being selected as the number twenty-eight overall pick to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Matt O’Leary
If the Islanders decide to move Jaroslav Halak the return they get wouldn’t be good for the now. What I mean is, although ultimately you would want a winger to plug right in and go, in return for Halak, that is extremely unlikely.
If you look at some teams that could use a goalie like Dallas or Carolina there isn’t someone on their roster who is expendable that jumps off the page as someone that would be a difference maker to this Islanders team.
If the Islanders trade Halak it should be for a prospect. If there’s one thing the Islanders have its prospects. Forward prospects? Got em. Defensive prospects? Got those too. Goalie prospects? Ever hear of Illya Sorokin?
So although the Islanders could use an “impact” forward they aren’t likely to get one from this deal. But, if they can get a prospect that they can then flip in the offseason for a scorer now we have a different story.
There are only so many forward slots available, do you really think we will see Mathew Barzal, Michael Dal Colle, Joshua Ho-Sang, Anthony Beauvillier, Kieffer Bellows, Ryan Strome, Brock Nelson, and John Tavares on the ice at the same time? No way!
That’s the thing with prospects, a. not all of them pan out and b. it’s okay to trade some for a big time player if you have the kind of prospect depth that the Islanders do. So although trading Halak for a prospect isn’t impactful for the team at the moment, it can help them stockpile some prospects to help them in a deal down the line.
Apr 9, 2016; Sunrise, FL, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Elias Lindholm (16) scores a goal past Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo (1) and defenseman Brian Campbell (51) looks on at BB&T Center. The Panthers won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Michel Anderson
The second a player decides he wants to leave his value drops considerably. Such is the luck of the Islanders in this Jaroslav Halak debacle.
There are only a few teams that could use a starting goaltender of Halak’s calibre and they either don’t have anything to offer the Islanders, want the Isles want, they won’t give up, or have just picked up their own goaltenders.
Like Ottawa, who just today traded for former Montréal Canadiens backup/starter Mike Condon just yesterday. So who’s left who needs a goalie and has the assets that the Isles need?
The two worst teams in terms of save percentage this season are the Flyers (.867) and Hurricanes (.874). The Flyers have a capable tandem in Mason and Neuvrith, they should be able to bounce back.
The Hurricanes have Cam Ward and Eddie Lack. Neither have proven they can be good enough to be considered a starting goalie in the NHL. As far as targets with Carolina my eye falls to Ellias Lindholm.
If Carolina wants the piece between the pipes that’s going to give them league average goaltending and maybe steal a few games, they’re going to have to pay a bit. You got to give to get.
A one-for-one probably won’t get this done so the Isles might have to throw in a pick to try and sway Ron Francis on this one. A second rounder thrown into the mix might be enough.
Lindholm is young and provides scoring abilities, with his 39 points in the last two season. But you know what? The Isles already have a ton of mid-range forward. So adding another one doesn’t move the figurative needle forward for the Isles. I’d actually rather the Isles hold on to Halak and make him earn a trade. Raise your worth to a point where we, the Isles, can get what we want.
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