{"id":81134,"date":"2020-08-04T12:58:48","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T16:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=81134"},"modified":"2020-08-04T12:58:48","modified_gmt":"2020-08-04T16:58:48","slug":"jean-gabriel-pageaus-importance-to-the-islanders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2020\/08\/04\/jean-gabriel-pageaus-importance-to-the-islanders\/","title":{"rendered":"Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s importance to the New York Islanders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jean-Gabriel Pageau<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0was traded<\/a> to the\u00a0<\/span>New York Islanders<\/span><\/a> at the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline. Ottawa traded Pageau for a 2020 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick, and a conditional 2022 third-round pick. There is top-three protection on the first-round pick, which reduced the risk in this trade. The <\/span>Ottawa Senators<\/span><\/a> receive the 2022 third-round pick if the Islanders win the 2020 Stanley Cup. Pageau was a career bottom-six player with the Senators until he broke out this season and scored 40 points in 60 games. But Pageau is known not just for his offensive production but also his stellar defensive play.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pageau has been disappointing in his seven games with the Islanders, though, tallying only two points. The Canadian didn’t post good defensive numbers either, and the opposition out-chanced him on the ice. This has to worry the Islanders, as he played his best before the Trade Deadline with the Senators. The Islanders signed Pageau to a six-year, $30 million deal which comes with a no-movement clause as well. If Pageau doesn’t turn out, this could turn into another bad contract on a team that already has <\/span>Andrew Ladd<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Johnny Boychuk<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

However, Pageau’s production in Ottawa is very encouraging for the Islanders. Defensive abilities are much more consistent, and a player doesn’t just have a good defensive impact for one season. Pageau will be an effective player for the Islanders and will help them in the upcoming play-in round against the\u00a0<\/span>Florida Panthers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pageau’s Role with the Islanders<\/span><\/h3>\n

In Pageau’s seven games with the Islanders, he played as their third-line center. He was a great compliment to\u00a0<\/span>Mathew Barzal<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Brock Nelson<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. Although Pageau didn’t play on the Islanders’ power play, he did play a lot on the penalty kill once he got there. The penalty kill wasn’t great when Pageau was on the ice, and he had the worst xGA\/60 (expected goals against per 60) on the team.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jean-Gabriel Pageau is strongest at five on five and played a very defensive role for the Islanders. He had the most defensive zone starts per 60 on the Islanders, lowering his play driving impact. This shows that the Islanders trust him in their d-zone. Pageau was also getting incredibly unlucky, as his PDO was 0.885 with the Islanders.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fact that Pageau can play both centre and wing makes him valuable to the Islanders. If the young\u00a0<\/span>Otto Koivula<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0can play his way into the Islanders top-nine, Pageau can easily be moved to the wing. However, this is unlikely the Islanders’ top prospects are wingers and defencemen. Pageau can also play an agitating role for the Islanders. The Ottawa native had 4.41 penalty minutes per 60 with the Islanders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pageau over the 2019-20 season<\/span><\/h3>\n

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