New York Islanders: Grading Their Moves and Non-Moves at the Trade Deadline

The trading deadline came and went on Long Island. As usual, it was a quiet trade deadline by Garth Snow and the Islanders. Snow continues to be patient as the Islanders continue with year three of their rebuild. It appears that finally the young players are starting to develop and pay dividends. John Tavares, Matt Moulson and P.A. Parenteau find themselves among statistical leaders.

After losing to the Washington Capitals, the Islanders also find themselves just eight games out of a playoff spot. While there was some speculation that the Islanders would be sellers at the trade deadline, there was just as much speculation that the Islanders could be buyers and go out and trade for a player to start alongside Tavares or Okposo–adding a scoring punch.

Snow opted to stand pat for the most part and that will both help and hurt the Islanders in the long run.

Evgeni Nabokov Still an Islander

D-

Much to our surprise, Evgeni Nabokov is still on Long Island. After much speculation, the Islanders opted to hold onto the talented goaltender. Nabokov has arguably been the team MVP this year with a .922 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average. Those numbers rank 11th and 13th respectively among NHL goaltenders.

It is unclear whether Nabokov still wants to play for the Islanders beyond this season. At 36 years old, Nabokov has never won a championship and I find it hard to believe that Nabokov is going to ink an extension with an Islander team that continues on with their rebuild and is uncertain where their future games will be played.

P.A. Parenteau Still on the Right Side of Tavares

B-

Trend or Mirage?

That is the question the Islanders had to ask themselves. Clearly, they opted trend as Parenteau still dresses for the New York Islanders. Many say that Parenteau is just a product of playing alongside Tavares. Numbers suggest otherwise. In 23 games playing on the second line alongside Frans Nielsen and Michael Grabner, Parenteau had six goals and 17 assists in 23 games. He had nine goals and 27 assists in 40 games on the Tavares line.

Considering he has produced even better when being separated from Tavares, Parenteau is for real. It is not hard to believe that Snow was looking for a first-round pick in return for Parenteau at the deadline.

Brian Rolston Traded to the Boston Bruins

A+

Brian Rolston has been abysmal for the New York Islanders this season. Granted, the Isles were not expecting the world out of him when they signed him to a one year, $5 million deal. However, they had to be expecting more than nine points in 50 games in Uniondale. They were were likely expecting something along the lines of the numbers that Rolston put up with the Devils last season. Last season, Rolston had 14 goals and 20 assists in 65 games.

Rolston has seen time on just about all scoring lines this season and has not produced. In the trade with Boston, the Islanders acquired a pair of marginal prospects, but more importantly, they were able to give Rolston’s salary. The acquisition was a real head-scratcher for Boston, as Rolston was placed on waivers a day before the trade. The Bruins could have had Rolston without giving anything up if they had just put in a claim a day before the trade.

Mike Mottau Traded to the Boston Bruins

A-

Anyone in the New York Islanders organization with tell you that Mike Mottau is the nicest guy in the world. As a hockey player though, not so much. Mottau was a real liability for the Islanders and half of one of the worst defensive pairings in hockey. Mottau was sent to the Boston Bruins alongside Brian Rolston. As bad as Rolston had been offensively, Mottau has been defensively.

As much as Mottau has struggled on the ice this season, he has off the ice as well. Mottau missed 36 games with a concussion but proved the past couple weeks that he is healthy enough to play down the stretch. Mottau had no goals and two assists in the 29 games he played as an Islander. Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin, the two prospects the Islanders got in return, are marginal prospects and both are long-shots to make a NHL impact.

Islanders Don't Acquire Any Prestigious Forwards

B+

Garth Snow’s trade history suggested that he would not make any big moves at the deadline and once again, history prevailed. Rick Nash was the most coveted forward available, and based on their asking price, it is no surprise.

The Blue Jackets' initial offer from the Sharks was for Logan Couture. It is likely they would be asking for John Tavares in return for the talented forward. Although players like Eric Staal, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan were rumored to be available earlier in the season, it was unlikely they were available at the deadline.

Considering that just about everyone is still in contention, there were not a lot of teams that considered themselves sellers at the trade deadline. Just three teams: the Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets and Edmonton Oilers find themselves more than eight games out of a playoff spot. Because of this, trade partners were nearly impossible to find because nobody wants to help out their competition.