New York Islanders: Buy one, sell one, and keep one as the deadline approaches
Sell Jordan Eberle
This is more or less the same thing as the prior Brock Nelson slide. There really might not be a massive market for Jordan Eberle, but the writing on the wall is indicating the Eberle might not be part of the Isles’ long-term future.
That is why, if the opportunity presented itself, the Islanders could afford to sell Eberle. He is a free agent at season’s end and has the worst rating on the team. While his 13 goals at the time of this writing in just shy of 60 games isn’t special, he is simply capable. If anyone has fallen off during the Trotz era so far, its number 7.
The Islanders’ biggest need, in my opinion, is wing help. The Islanders need to go out and get someone to help Mat Barzal and someone who can keep up with him. If the Islanders do make the decision to go out and get such wing help, Eberle could be the odd man out. They can only shuffle around what they have so much before it breaks.
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If they do get help, and still keep Eberle, which is the most realistic scenario, it’ll be Eberle who gets moved down anyway because the other RW’s have typically been Josh Bailey, Leo Komarov, Cal Clutterbuck, who are all producing or part of the Lou system.
The Isles could try to gain a more productive winger that could help them more now and then maybe trade Eberle to a team out west for picks to help the lighten the load they would have to give up to get a player a the deadline.
Out of all the restricted free agents the Islanders have, Eberle would likely garner them the most return and the one they essentially need the least. I hate to be that guy, and I’m not rooting for this, but if the Isles were to trade a player away at the deadline it should be Eberle.
Valtteri Filppula is a crafty veteran who was brought in by this regime. Same for Tom Kuhnhackl, who would return no real value. So, while nothing is official, and the Islanders are likely to keep everyone, if we had to pick one to sell, it makes too much sense for that player to be Eberle.