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The New York Islanders are hovering around the Eastern Conference playoff line. Even with a recent seven-game winning streak, rumors around their veteran pieces are heating up as the trade deadline approaches. Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson are pending free agents but one of their centers has an extra year of control and could be moved. If the Islanders trade Jean-Gabriel Pageau before the trade deadline, where should he go?
Pageau has already been traded at the deadline in his career. He went from the Ottawa Senators to the Islanders at the 2020 trade deadline and thrived in the latter half of that season. In the bubble, he scored eight goals in 22 games on New York's run to the Eastern Conference Final. His four-goal game against the Rangers still lives in Senators lore. Whoever trades for Pageau gets a bona fide playoff scorer and a solid center for this year and next.
Which contenders would Pageau fit with best? If the Islanders trade him, one of these four teams should make a push for the center.
The Senators reunite with Jean-Gabriel Pageau
This one is the least likely because of the price the Islanders will likely ask for Pageau. The Senators should not part with a first-round pick for a depth piece this year, as they are not ready for the Stanley Cup yet. But if they can pry him away from the Islanders for less, they should make that move. Bringing back a veteran would be a great way to supplement their young core.
Tim Stutzle is the top-line center for the Senators but beyond him, they do not have great depth. Ridly Greig, Zack Ostapchuk, and Adam Gaudette represent the rest of the centers. Pageau provides better penalty killing and scoring while Josh Norris and Shane Pinto are out.
Speaking of Pinto, he could be an interesting piece to go back to the Islanders in a trade. He is from Long Island and could use a change of scenery after a long-term gambling suspension. The Islanders should require a pick even if Pinto gets thrown in the trade, but they could bet on the young forward.
The Kings get their right-handed scorer
With the trade deadline less than a month away, the Los Angeles Kings have identified righty scorers as their biggest desire. Pageau does not have the scoring touch that Rickard Rakell or Dylan Cozens do but is a righty shot. His face-off ability and penalty-killing should make him an attractive piece for a team desperately looking for playoff success.
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What the Senators lack in center depth, the Kings have in spades. Anze Kopitar, Quentin Byfield, and Philip Danault are all great centers and bring something different to the lineup. Pageau is not a better defender than Kopitar and does not have the high ceiling that Byfield has. But the Kings need righties and Pageau can help diversify their power play and penalty kill down the stretch.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau joins the Avalance's depth
When the Avalanche traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, they prioritized NHL-caliber players. Martin Necas and Jack Drury are both making an impact on Colorado already and will be important to the team moving forward. He would likely play the wing to start in Colorado because of their center depth but extra centers are never a bad thing. Improving the 16th-ranked penalty kill is something they should look at doing at the deadline.
The Avalanche have their draft picks and have a lot of solid prospects they could deal at the deadline. The Islanders need defensemen at the NHL level badly, especially ones who can move the puck. If the two sides can work out a deal that lands the Islanders an NHL-caliber defenseman, it could be the biggest win-win move of the deadline.
Could the Dallas Stars make a deep run?
The Dallas Stars have been ravaged by injuries this season but are still hanging tough in the Central Division. As the Winnipeg Jets pull away, the Stars should replace center Tyler Seguin and defenseman Miro Heiskanen in their lineup. They already sent their first-round pick to the San Jose Sharks for Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci but could swing another deal.
The Stars came close to unseating the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final. If they can improve their depth at the deadline and bring Dallas back to the Stanley Cup Final. With Jake Oettinger in the net, they can beat anyone in the playoffs and need the scoring to do it. Sending more picks to the Islanders for Pageau should not be an issue for GM Jim Nill.
