As most New York hockey fans are aware, the Sabres and Islanders made a huge trade in which Buffalo acquired Matt Moulson and a pair of draft picks, while the Isles hauled in star Thomas Vanek. So now that the initial shock of the trade has died down since it occurred on Sunday, I will try to give my best, rational, realistic breakdown of this deal. I’ll look at it from the Islanders point of view as usual, and break it down wholly.
So, starting with the Islanders end of the deal. The Islanders acquired the gem here in Thomas Vanek, the star winger. In his nine years with Buffalo, Vanek has put up numbers that classify him with the elite forwards, and he has done this with Cody Hodgson as his best linemate recently. Vanek is an elite scorer, the kind that John Tavares would love on his wing. The duo will easily make up one of the most lethal first lines in the game. So while its hard to talk badly about what they have received, there’s a lot of debate about what they gave up. First off, New York sent out Matt Moulson, their first line left wing, and John Tavares’ close friend. Moulson and Tavares have established quite the rapport over the years, and when watching them on the ice the chemistry is obvious. However, as many argue and I would agree, Moulson is a byproduct of playing on a line with Tavares. Now I’m not saying that every one of the 30 goals that Moulson nets a year is all because of JT, but when playing on a line with one of the best in the game, your numbers will be accented. When it comes to the Islanders giving up a first round draft pick, it means very little for a team breaking out of the rebuild phase, with a loaded farm system.
Long term, the only way this trade sours for the Islanders is if Vanek, in a contract year, doesn’t re-sign. But I can nearly guarantee right now that he will. First of all, if money is an issue, the Isles have loads of it. Right now, the Islanders have the most room to spend in the league and should empty their pockets for talent like Vanek. Next, look at it this way, would Garth Snow pull off this trade and give up all that he did, if he thinks Vanek will only stick around for 70 games? Give the man more credit than that, and expect that he knows what he is doing. Moreover, who would leave a team with a bright future while playing with John Tavares? And lastly, look at guys like Lubomir Visnovsky and Evgeni Nabokov, who when they first became Islanders, refused to report. After some time on the Island, and a little while with the team, both guys loved it here and signed extensions. That should serve as some indication that the Islanders do something right that make players want to stay.
In my opinion, the Islanders can’t lose the trade. They got the better player out of it, and the draft picks do not mean much to the Isles. Where Moulson is a dependent player, Vanek is a playmaker who can do it all by himself without Tavares. While I’m heartbroken to see Moulson leave the team, I understand how much better of a player Vanek is. As I mentioned earlier, Vanek posts great numbers on a team where he has to do everything. Now imagine what his stats could look like with another elite player at his side. The pair of Vanek and Tavares both benefit from this. The Islanders as a team needed a spark in the locker room and maybe this provides it. The trade sent a message saying that anyone not named John Tavares can be traded, and instead of applying for a name change, players should step up their game. And as I have said all offseason long, if the Isles can get an elite scorer for that first line with Tavares, they’ll be a real offensive threat. Look for plenty of goals to come from this team.
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