Proposal: Isles Retool/Rebuild this summer

[miscs75]

If Isles decide to rebuild then how do those 1sts not help? They're futures. It's either picks and/or prospects

Also I would dangle Hage - he's not untouchable for me

it’s more so the quality of draft. Why pick up 1sts in a weaker draft year over the 2026 crop which is expected to be better. That’s what I’m getting at with that. If teams really cared so much about 1sts, they wouldn’t be traded around as much as they are. To move out Barzal and/Horvat to get a 3-5 year project back in return with nothing to currently use that keeps the team somewhat competitive is just not smart.

 

[Captain Mountain]

it’s more so the quality of draft. Why pick up 1sts in a weaker draft year over the 2026 crop which is expected to be better. That’s what I’m getting at with that. If teams really cared so much about 1sts, they wouldn’t be traded around as much as they are. To move out Barzal and/Horvat to get a 3-5 year project back in return with nothing to currently use that keeps the team somewhat competitive is just not smart.

We don't actually know it will be better. To start with, ranking drafts 12 to 18 months out is a total crap-shoot. Its why on these boards last year more people thought 2025 was a better draft than 2024 (outside of Celebrini). And the view of 2026 sounds like its not that the draft will be better overall, its that McKenna already looks better than anyone it the 2025 draft (and is arguably a more hyped prospect than anyone this decade outside of Bedard).

I'm willing to bet the Islanders aren't going to get a serious shot at McKenna for a pick acquired by any veteran they have. If the concern is 3-5 year projects, why acquire any picks and why acquire picks that will make the show even later?

 

[miscs75]

We don't actually know it will be better. To start with, ranking drafts 12 to 18 months out is a total crap-shoot. Its why on these boards last year more people thought 2025 was a better draft than 2024 (outside of Celebrini). And the view of 2026 sounds like its not that the draft will be better overall, its that McKenna already looks better than anyone it the 2025 draft (and is arguably a more hyped prospect than anyone this decade outside of Bedard).

I'm willing to bet the Islanders aren't going to get a serious shot at McKenna for a pick acquired by any veteran they have. If the concern is 3-5 year projects, why acquire any picks and why acquire picks that will make the show even later?

I know they won’t get a serious shot at McKenna based on how predictable the team is. It’s more so that trading everyone away for projects while having nothing to support them just is utterly stupid and that 3-5 year project becomes close to 10 before the team becomes a real contender. Keeping the core 4-5 peices and moving out others for new faces/different pieces is the way to go in the end. Personally, I’d rather have a quality prospect over the mid-late 1st round pick. The sure thing over the ??? is the way to go.

 

[Captain Mountain]

I know they won’t get a serious shot at McKenna based on how predictable the team is. It’s more so that trading everyone away for projects while having nothing to support them just is utterly stupid and that 3-5 year project becomes close to 10 before the team becomes a real contender. Keeping the core 4-5 peices and moving out others for new faces/different pieces is the way to go in the end. Personally, I’d rather have a quality prospect over the mid-late 1st round pick. The sure thing over the ??? is the way to go.

The issue is that outside the core pieces, NYI doesn't have anything that returns a "quality prospect", and may not have what returns a mid-late 1st round pick.

 

[miscs75]

The issue is that outside the core pieces, NYI doesn't have anything that returns a "quality prospect", and may not have what returns a mid-late 1st round pick.

The bigger issue is that offering a mediocre prospect and 1st doesn’t help the Isles with moving the core pieces. Thats why I put up 1st/Hage/Newhook. Would personally rather load up on forward prospects over middle-bottom pairing defensive prospects. Eitherr one of these center cores in the future if the Isles-Habs made a deal: Horvat/Hage/Ritchie/??? Down the middle if they move Barzal or Barzal/Hage/Ritchie/??? If they move Horvat. We had a Canucks fan thinking Garland/ Raty or Mynio/2nd/4th was a fair return for Horvat and I didn’t even reply because it was comically bad for the Isles.

 

[TheNewEra]

ottawa has about 3-4 million in cap space based off rumored offers. Pageau with retention could be interesting. Same thing with Lee.

Cizikas would also fill an open spot but i dont see ottawa investing all of its cap space for a 4C role.

 

[icelander25]

Every pick and prospect is on the table except for Demidov, Reinbacher and Fowler (which you wouldn't be interested in anyway) so I'm not exactly sure what you expect in terms of prospects but if you think a team will give you a Grade A / top 30 prospect in the league for a 30 years old Center you are out of touch with reality.

Now if only I’d heard that one before… We won’t get more than a 1st + B prospect for a 34 ufa center at the deadline (All that was said about Nelson for the tdl). Horvat won’t get traded, but if he did, he’d get way more than you think easily x

 

[Baksfamous112]

Now if only I’d heard that one before… We won’t get more than a 1st + B prospect for a 34 ufa center at the deadline (All that was said about Nelson for the tdl). Horvat won’t get traded, but if he did, he’d get way more than you think easily x

Entertain us. What do you think a 30 years old Horvat would get? I’d love to see comparables to what you think he would get as well as why you think he would be worth more now at 30 than he was at 28?

P.S: Horvat was traded (trade & sign) ~2 years ish ago for a 1st + B prospect + cap dump.

 

[Leafs87]

1. Isles trade Ryan Pulock, Matthew Maggio and a 2025 4th to Winnipeg for Elias Salomonsson and a 2025 1st.

2. Isles trade JGP (50% retained) to Montreal for Adam Engstrom and a 2026 2nd (the worse, ie closer to 64, of theirs and Columbus')

3. Isles trade Adam Pelech and the rights to Quinn Finley to Chicago for the NYI 2026 2nd.

Isles get a bunch of picks and two solid prospects that can help in the very immediate future. Trading Finley for the second is something Isles fans are gonna get pissy about, but I want that pick back. They're going to stink in 25-26 and it's a valuable piece going forward. And I know Pelech has a 16 team NTC as of 7/1 and might block Chicago, but if you've gotta threaten him with waivers like Trouba, then so be it. I'm assuming Pulock and JGP waive with little issue.

DRAFT:

10th: Jake O'Brien
26th (from WPG): Blake Fiddler
42: Nathan Behm


SYSTEM:

In this scenario, Isles will have added in the last 4 months; Ritchie, Salomonsson, Engstrom, O'Brien, Fiddler and Behm. If it's not a top 10 system then it's awfully close. A dramatic turn around from May of 2024.

You're not a good team for 25-26, but there's no scenario in which the Isles are a good team in 25-26. But you've loaded the farm, freed up significant cap space and have four picks in the first two rounds in the 2026 draft, and that's before you trade Lee at the deadline. Should you wanna move a "core" piece like Dobson/Horvat/Sorokin/Romanov/Barzal, that option is still available.

But you're looking to add quality at the 2026 draft. Maybe get lucky and fall into McKenna.

Has Pelech really deteriorated to this level?!

 

[icelander25]

Entertain us. What do you think a 30 years old Horvat would get? I’d love to see comparables to what you think he would get as well as why you think he would be worth more now at 30 than he was at 28?

P.S: Horvat was traded (trade & sign) ~2 years ish ago for a 1st + B prospect + cap dump.

Gonna preface this that Horvat is almost certainly not getting moved, but that only adds to the fact that we'd have to be blown away (like the Nelson deal) to trade him. Also want to edit the original Horvat deal was him for 1st + B+ish prospect + middle sixer (at the time Beavilluer was still valuable and immediately played top 6 mintues for the Canucks).
Personally, I think the Isles should start at Hage + 2025 1st + cap coming back. I'm not taking anything less, and if so he's locked up for another 7 yrs so yea

 

[Whileee]

Can't see the Jets interested in that deal. Salo just won the best D award and top rookie on the Moose. He's ready and if he doesn't play next year he plays the year after. And the big thing is he'll be on his ELC and around for a long time.

I think Salomonsson has very, very high value for the Jets. He was a top D on the Swedish Elite League champions as a 19 year-old last season and the best D on his AHL team (and an AHL All-Star) as a 20-year old rookie this year. Big, aggressive RHD with great wheels, high-end defense, and improving offense. He's a cornerstone type of prospect, and teams rarely trade those.

 

[seabass45]

Has Pelech really deteriorated to this level?!

Concussions.