New York Islanders

New York Islanders Roundtable: Should Halak be Traded

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Feb 25, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) makes a save against the Calgary Flames during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

In our first New York Islanders roundtable I asked the staff at Eyes on Isles: “Would you trade Jaroslav Halak? And if so, what would you want in return?”

The New York Islanders will continue to carry three goaltenders on the active roster for the 2016-17 season. The trio of Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss, and Jean-Francois Berube, like last season, will split the starts, with Halak getting the bulk of them, and less as you go down the line.

Jean-Francois Berube, again, like last season, will be used to plug any goaltending gaps in the lineup between both the NHL and AHL squads. He played in 12 games between the Islanders and Sound Tigers in 2015-16,

Three goaltenders is a crowd. Last season Jaro Halak was none too pleased with the three goalie situation. For good reason, one of the two is going to be stealing starts from him.

The idea of trading a player often gets misconstrued for not liking said player. If you liked him you’d keep him? It’s a fair point to make.

But what if the market value for that player is too high to pass up? What if there was a Godfather-like scenario, where an offer came across Garth Snow’s desk that he simply could not refuse. Then, a deal would at least need to be considered?

With outstanding performances in the World Cup of Hockey for Team Europe Halak immediately becomes an attractive target for teams looking for shot-stoppers.

And with is nice little $4.5 million cap hit, he presents real good value to a team looking for a great starter without having to shed a ton of cap space.

So what do Eyes on Isles staffers think of the proposition? Should the Isles trade Jaro?

Jan 25, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) during the third period against the Detroit Red Wings at Barclays Center. Detroit Red Wings won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Lizza

There is no doubt in my mind, Jaroslav Halak has been under-appreciated in his career. Having said that, the answer to this question is yes in the right circumstances.

I would trade Jaroslav Halak (even in a package) for either a proven scoring winger or future assets (draft pick & prospect) that can be flipped for legit scoring. Trading Halak would also free up some cap space for both this season and next.

There is risk trading Halak. For this season, the Islanders should be fine with a tandem of Thomas Greiss and J.F. Berube. The key phrase is should. Obviously, neither goaltender has Halak’s resume. Having said, that outside of John Tavares, clearly the Islanders won their first round playoff series last Spring because of Greiss. Berube is an unknown but in small samples has played well and with confidence.

The bigger issue is what do the Islanders do long-term if they trade Halak now? Greiss is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. The future for the blue and orange in net is top prospect Ilya Sorokin who dominated the KHL last season. However, will Sorokin be able to come over to North America next season and will he be ready for the NHL in a significant role?

I would roll the dice by moving Halak if Garth Snow can land an impactful scoring forward.

Dec 12, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Islanders won 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Matt O’Leary

This is a topic that I went back and forth on myself. Although I see the potential benefits of trading Jaroslav Halak, it would be in the Islanders best interest to keep him. Combined Thomas Greiss and Halak are a $6 million cap hit.

You’re getting two starting goalies for the price of one. Granted, neither Halak nor Greiss are elite but they are good enough to get by with.

In the long term, it looks like Ilya Sorokin is the goalie of the future, and Halak and Greiss are more than adequate placeholders.

The current tandem allows the Islanders to continue to be competitive while not getting locked into a veteran goalie. With Sorokin waiting in the wings they should just keep what they have now. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Nov 3, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) deflects the puck during the first period against the New Jersey Devils at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Jennifer Lapka

Halak is coming through in the World Cup and that’s good news for the Islanders. The recovery from his injury was definitely a concern but he’s shown the kind of play we got in Oct/Nov 2014. The issue with Halak is consistency.

While I’d like to see the Islanders unload his salary, I don’t think it’s a good idea to trade him now. I like Greiss but to throw all our eggs into his basket on his one good/career year seems like too big a risk and a little foolish. Halak takes the Isles to Sorokin.

I also don’t think Halak alone brings the caliber of winger the Isles need either so the package would have to be a big one. What teams need a starting goalie and would they be willing to take on Halak’s salary and inconsistency (esp when guys like Bishop may be/become available)?

Would I? For a stellar winger/right price, I’d consider it but I don’t think it’s feasible.

Apr 25, 2015; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Islanders starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak (41) takes the ice for pregame warmups prior to game six of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Washington Capitals at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Farrell Hirsch

I’m not sure how to answer a question about whether the Isles should trade Halak. You would have to tell me who is coming back the other way.

If you listed every NHL player in order of greatness, from Crosby to… Strait, where do you draw the line and say, “I would trade Halak for everyone above, but not anyone below”? Remember, that guy coming back has to improve the team, the team that just traded it’s starting goalie.

I think you draw that line so high up, that no team would make that deal with you. Think about this, if the Oilers would have done it, we all would have traded Jaro for Eberle in a second this summer.

Do you think the Isles have a chance at better playoff success with Eberle and Greiss? You would have to REALLY trust Greiss.

So would I trade Halak? Absolutely. But I doubt there is a deal out there.

Dec 12, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) clears the puck in the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Timothy Palladino

Would I trade Jaroslav Halak? At the moment, in the right now I would say no. Despite the outstanding performance from Griess last season that got the isles into the playoffs and the second round. I’m not one hundred percent sure Griess is ready for a full season of work.

Also how ready is J-F Berube for being the number two guy? Sure he can fill in but is ready for the load of work that would come from being backup to untested starter?

I also think about the risk of injuries and if one those two got hurt. Are the islanders ready to bring up one of the kids in the system?

With not many goalies in their farm system, that are ready, it seems reasonable to keep Halak and Griess and alternate them for now. The team will look to continue the path of last season’s success.

Mar 3, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) stops a shot by Dallas Stars right wing Ales Hemsky (83) during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Michel Anderson

As it comes with any trade it takes two to tango. The overall theme from the Eyes on Isles staff is: “If the price is right”. Which is absolutely fair. If the price is right any player is…in play.

So what is the right price? Losing a starting goalie generally means that a hole immediately opens up on the team’s roster. And generally, means a goaltender is either coming back in the same trade or is on the way in a soon to come transaction.

But for the New York Islanders they already have a number of goalies in the system. All Islanders fans saw how Thomas Greiss was able to take the starter responsibility valiantly when Halak went down with injury last season.

And as some of the staffers suggested, it might be too early to throw all of our eggs in the Thomas Greiss basket just yet. His unfortunate outing at the World Cup of Hockey didn’t do much to quell any feelings of uneasiness. Four goals, eight shots, in ten minutes? Although it would be fair to ask how in the world a team got eight shots against in ten minutes in the first place.

islanders

Eyes On Isles 1 wWorld Cup of Hockey Sweden vs. Europe: Time, Channel, more

More headlines around FanSided:

1 w - World Cup of Hockey Canada vs. USA: Live Thread 1 w - World Cup of Hockey Canada vs. USA: Time, Channel, and more 1 w - World Cup of Hockey Team Canada v. Team USA: Game Review 1 w - New York Islanders Tavares vs. Team USA: Live Thread 1 w - New York Islanders Team Canada: Game Time, Channel, and moreMore News at Eyes On Isles

Who Needs a Goalie?

Just looking at basic goaltending number would suggest the Calgary Flames need goaltending. The Flames had the worst goaltending record in the league based on save percentage. But this offseason the Flames acquired Brian Elliot from the St Louis Blues and Chad Johnson from the Buffalo Sabres

So the Flames are set in the goaltending department. At least for the time being. What about Dallas?

The Dallas Stars didn’t have the worst goaltending output in the league. But it wasn’t good enough to get them past that second round in the playoffs.The Finnish duo posted a combined .882 SV% and 3.05 GAA during the 2015-16 playoffs. That’s just not good enough

Toss Halak into that situation, based on his current performances and the Stars suddenly look like world beaters. So, what’s the price? What does Jim Neal give up? More importantly, what do the Islanders need?

Islanders get LW, Ales Hemsky, 2nd Round (Conditional 1st; Make Conference Finals)

For this trade to take place two assumptions need to occur, one for each respective side. For the Stars, it’s the assumption that one of either Lehtonen or Niemi is traded away. The Stars already carry the heaviest goaltender cap allocation in the league. Adding Halak’s $4.5 million to the books wouldn’t make much sense.

From the Isles perspective, the assumption has to be that they fully trust in a Greiss-Berube tandem. It’s a risky proposition from the Isles perspective simply because they don’t know if Greiss’ performance last season was a flash in the pan or not.

Hemsky is a guarantee for a minimum of 30 points no matter where he is. Putting up 30 points here seems like an easy guarantee. With him, the Isles have the ability to roll three scoring lines.

With Halak going the other way the Isles save a $500,000 on the cap. The pick is a reflection of the risk the Islanders are absorbing by sending their starter to Dallas. And the option, well that’s just good business.

If Dallas really believes they have a shot at the cup (who doesn’t think they do?). Then there’s a cost associated with facilitating that goal by sending over the piece they are desperately missing.

With his outstanding performances at the World Cup of Hockey Halak is turning heads and likely drawing interest. The Islanders and Garth Snow need to think long and hard about the present and future of their crease. Sorokin was drafted by the Isles, but who knows if he’ll actually play here, or just stay in Russia. If the Isles can get a top six forward and some draft leverage with at least a second round pick, then maybe the deal can be done.