I feel like I've seen so many similar types of deals proposed, so let's try and find different homes for some Islanders that have been popping up in trade rumors lately.
1 - Scott Mayfield: It feels like every Toronto TDL AGM has some variation of Mayfield going to Toronto for picks and lower level players. Mayfield wouldn't be a good fit, but he has value as a RD with an extra year at a low AAV, and he's kept his head above water when pushed into playing top pair minutes with Adam Pelech this year. Let's send him to the Panthers so they can make Radko Gudas the 7th D he's well more suited to be, while still being a large, physical presence.
-Andy Greene seems to get lumped in Islanders TDL AGMs as "whatever, send him anywhere". Minnesota could be a good spot for him - right now they're running out Jordie Benn & Jon Merrill as LD2/LD3, and there's not much better in the AHL for them. Greene isn't a major upgrade, but he's an inexpensive way to bring a steady hand to their blue line - he also has more playoff games in just the last two seasons than either Merrill or Benn have in their career, and we all know how GMs love to overvalue playoff experience at the deadline.
-Anaheim is in a weird spot, where I think they're ahead of schedule in their rebuild, but also have a lot of bigger names going UFA this year (Rakell/Lindholm/Manson/Getzlaf). I think Clutterbuck is an upgrade over the Sam Carrick/Buddy Robinson combo they've been running out at RW4, and he makes a good addition to the penalty kill. Plus, getting him away from Lou maybe means we get that mustache back.
-Is Parise for a 3 too rich? The Avs don't have a ton of mid-round picks left, but I think Parise can upgrade their LW4 situation (Maitsev has looked over his head, and the other guys they've played their have been AHL lifer-types). Not only does he get to chase a ring, but the potential of a revenge series against the Wild is on the table with this one!
-Lotta youth on that Kings blueline, and Chara doesn't need to step in and play every night. He's strictly a 7th D here, filling on back to backs to keep everyone fresh, and being a mentor for those young kids that are going to be leading the Kings for the next decade. I know he has the travel thing, but after the deadline the furthest LA travels is Chicago (sandwiched between Minnesota and Colorado). Not ideal, but it's a situation where his being 44 will actually be a positive.
-OK, fine, fine, some of these proposals keep popping up because they're so obvious. Varlamov will stabilize Edmonton's goal for the new coach, and his one extra year of term give them some stability as opposed to having start over in goal *yet again* for 2022-23. Koskinen and a 1/2 has been the general consensus return, but let's juice it up to a guaranteed 1st and an extra lottery ticket by taking on Kyle Turris for the rest of the year and giving Edmonton some extra room for other moves.
If they make every single one of these moves, it's going to be a rough last month. They're gonna lean a lot on those top 2 D pairs because Hickey/Hutton is kind of garbage, but you can at least get Grant Hutton some good ice time and see if he's worth qualifying this offseason. Panik gets some time as RW4 as a reward for being a good soldier for most of the season in Bridgeport; and you just let Bellows and Wahlstrom play with JGP and let them mess up without feeling like they're gonna get benched.
The last thing to say is that the Islanders have some cap space even before all these moves - if they're not going to sell the farm, they should at least keep their ears open to possibly snag some extra picks by retaining salary as a third party in trades between cap-strapped contenders. They're not retaining anything at this point and that's an asset that they should think about taking advantage of.
Mayfield trade looks fine value wise but imo Gudas has been pretty solid this year. I dont think Gudas -> Mayfield is much of an upgrade (not sure if its even an upgrade tbh)
The Greene, Parise, and Chara deals are ok I guess. Im sure teams will trade for them based on their experience alone. I cant go into much detail for MIN or LAK but for the Parise to COL trade I dont hate it but I think COL could get someone more impactful for a 3rd. Id also want them to target a D man before adding a fwd unless Byram is able to come back soon
If I was a GM I would think Clutterbuck has negative value. But some GMs might value him because of his grit and ANA doesnt really have cap issues this year so the 3.5M hit isnt the end of the world. Maybe theyd take him for free or for a late pick but I dont see enough teams being interested to drive the price up to a 3rd
The Varly -> EDM move makes a lot of sense. Honestly I dont think a goalie is enough to help them though, their D core is awful and theyll probably have to add both a D and G if they want to make the playoffs this year. In terms of value I think a 1st might be a bit much considering how many goalies could be available to them via trade, but if youre taking Koskinen back too then I guess its plausible
Greene isn't needed. Merrill and Benn are only playing up the lineup right now due to Dumba being out with injury. However, Dumba should be back in short order. It's possible he might be ready to go by Saturday against Carolina, and if not probably against Detroit on Monday.
Typically, Merrill is D6 in the lineup and Benn is the 7D. Both of whom have been extremely solid for us this year and played well for the most part whenever they've had to play higher than that. Merrill has been such a good fit with us that he was given a 3 year extension by Guerin a couple of weeks ago.
Furthermore if we need another D-man Calen Addison is more or less NHL ready already, as an in-house option, he's just not ready for a top 4 role yet which Greene isn't going to be much help with, imo.
If I was a GM I would think Clutterbuck has negative value. But some GMs might value him because of his grit and ANA doesnt really have cap issues this year so the 3.5M hit isnt the end of the world. Maybe theyd take him for free or for a late pick but I dont see enough teams being interested to drive the price up to a 3rd
If you look at Cal's numbers he's been a very solid performer for a team that hasn't been all that great for chunks of this year. He's spent the most of his ice time with his usual linemates Casey Cizikas & Matt Martin, and they're keep pretty much even in possession numbers (chances 168-184, shots 92-94, goals 6-6). I def think he's an upgrade over Carrick/Robinson, and has that playoff experience GMs tend to love.
i feel like parise would get a 5th i think a 3rd is a bit much.
I was thinking of splitting that difference and going with a 4th, but Colorado doesn't have a 4th until 2024, and Lou doesn't really strike me as a guy who's gonna wait two more years to have that trade pay off. I think you could have the Islanders throw in a 5th to get Colorado's 3rd in that case.