New York Islanders: Three non-rentals the Isles should target at the deadline

Jack Roslovic.

This one is by far the player with the most moving parts and probably little to no chance of joining the Islanders. However, the Jets are a great team who will likely be buyers at the deadline. They need to keep up with the Stars and Predators who have already been making moves.

That is why the Islanders should call the Jets about Jack Roslovic. He would be able to come in and be a mid line player whose contract is set to expire after the 2019-2020 season. His cap hit is less than a million, too.

The only issue with this one is that he is listed as a center, which I wouldn’t exactly consider as the Islanders biggest need, but also he is not as productive as the others on this list. He has just 17 points in 60 games. But, he is a great name if the Isles decide to go off course a little.

But remember, that is on a crowded Jets team. The key is that he is only 22 years old. So there is still logic to go get him. He could come in and be another player with NHL experience who is young, but still different from what they have. This is a long-term plan with a chance the short-term works out too.

While his name is not highly circulated on rumors right now, he is a name on the list of trade bait and a name the Islanders could call about if all else fails, or they decide to add more youth instead of veterans. The Jets might need to trade-off young assets to make up for what they will lose buying players and that could correlate to him not even having room on the Jets.

Getting him could show the Isles’ player that they do have faith in young talent, but also in the team they have now. It wouldn’t mean the Isles are selling either, just changing things up. He would only be an upgrade on a technicality. It could be to boost morale a little bit if nothing else.

Overall, there is no way of knowing what Lou will do. He has a mind of his own and I am almost sure he has the green light to do what he wants. Barry Trotz has proved to be a wizard with anyone who Lou gives him. All the Isles really need to do is upgrade and bring in a fresh new face.

The Isles would likely have to give up a first round pick and maybe even some talent, a Brock Nelson type player for him because he is young, but also because the Jets will be shopping their own first for a talent and will need to make up for it. But, an NHL ready, 22 age forward, could be worth giving up a high pick or solid player for.

There might be a lot of reluctance on the Jets’ part to trade him, but if their deadline gets out of hand and they need to make moves, they might be willing to trade him for the correct price. Lou should at least see what the asking price is.

So, these are three players who the Islanders could go after at the deadline who are not rentals. However, there is a better chance they go for the talent that is slightly better with less control. But, the Isles are in a different boat than most teams. Let’s see what happens.