The New York Islanders beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in overtime on Thursday to restart the season. They are holding onto the final Metropolitan Division playoff spot, but may be looking for some reinforcements. The Islanders have called the St Louis Blues about forwards Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou ahead of the NHL trade deadline, per Stefen Rosner of The Elmonters.
“It’s Isles GM Mathieu Darche’s job to make the calls — & I’m told he’s checked in on [Blues] stars Jordan Kyrou & Robert Thomas. Both are signed long-term with full no-trade clauses,” Rosner reported.
The Blues are near the bottom of the Western Conference standings and preparing for a GM change in the offseason. That could lead them to sell off Thomas and Kyrou, who are both signed through 2030. Whichever player the Islanders land would have to waive a full no-trade clause to make the trade.
The Islanders were not expected to be in a playoff spot coming into the season. After last year's disaster landed them outside the dance, they started a quick retool, centered around Matthew Schaefer. No one expected Schaefer to be a game-changing defenseman at 18 years old, which has completely shifted their timeline.
It is an overall positive that the Islanders' timeline has shifted. They can make a championship push while Ilya Sorokin, Adam Pelech, and Bo Horvat are in their primes, but they need another scorer. Thomas is a center, while Kyrou is the more prolific scorer. Whichever player Darche targets will be expensive, but the team needs a jolt.
The biggest trade pieces the Islanders have to trade are prospect Cole Eiserman and the 2026 Colorado Avalanche first-round pick. They could also attach either JG Pageau or Anders Lee to a trade to even out the salaries and give the Blues another trade to make. Should the Islanders target Kyrou or Thomas?
