The New York Islanders are 9-11-7 to start the 2024-25 season and are quickly becoming a team to watch on the trade market. With Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM Brad Treliving likely having sights on adding up front before the March 7 trade deadline, there’s certainly the potential of these two teams doing business together at some point this season.
While no trade feels imminent at the moment, considering how many injuries the Maple Leafs have among their forward group, the team could benefit from adding a veteran centre up front to balance out their roster down the middle.
Let’s dive into a few options the Islanders have that Treliving and company could consider:
Brock Nelson
Age: 33
Contract: $6 million AAV, pending unrestricted free agent
Trade Protection: 16-team no-trade list
Points: 27 GP, 10G, 7 A, 17 PTS
Nelson can score, there’s no doubt about it. The veteran pivot has posted 30-goal seasons the past three years and is currently on pace to once again hit the mark. He’s averaging 19:08 of ice-time per game for the Isles, playing a ton on the power-play, and filling in as a depth penalty killer. Nelson has won 55.3% of his faceoffs this season, which is a career-high efficiency for the Islanders centre.
At 6-foot-4, Nelson has great size but he’s not physical in the least, with just eight hits through 27 games this season. It makes you wonder about a potential fit as the Leafs’ third-line centre. He doesn’t frequently kill penalties and isn’t a physical presence, however, Nelson would bring a much-needed element of secondary scoring to the Maple Leafs lineup, and allow for Berube to mix and match his middle two lines, with John Tavares and Nelson as options down the middle.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Age: 32
Contract: $5 million AAV, signed through 2025-26
Trade Protection:16-team no-trade list
Points: 25 GP, 5 G, 5 A, 10 PTS
Pageau may not be the preferred candidate for some, but it’s hard to deny he’d check a lot of boxes off for the Maple Leafs. He’s among the league leaders at over 60% in the faceoff circle, and he just so happens to be a right-handed shot, which would provide the Leafs with a righty option down the middle that they don’t currently have.
Pageau plays an aggressive, in-your-face style of game, which feels like something Berube would appreciate. He has 86 games of Stanley Cup Playoff experience under his belt and unlike Nelson, has a long history of being an above-average penalty killer. Pageau has landed 52 hits this season, finished with 196 last season, which would have led the Leafs’ forwards by a land slide.
His contract isn’t ideal, especially with next season on his deal, however, with the Islanders not having any of their retention slots taken up, there’s certainly the potential for an appetite to retain money if the return is sweetened. Pageau is a buzz saw, he’s a work horse, and yes, while he’s fallen off a bit of late, if given a specific role in Toronto, perhaps he could flourish in his new assignment.
Casey Cizikas
Age: 33
Contract: $2.5 million AAV, signed through 2026-27
Trade Protection: No
Points: 27 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS
Cizikas is a bang-and-crash depth forward, who admittedly, may be out of his element slightly in the three hole for the Maple Leafs. Although he’s from Toronto and plays a style Berube would love to add more of, his contract is currently outweighing his impact, especially scary with two more years on it.
Cizikas is off to a terrible start on the score sheet, after posting 10 goals and 23 points a season ago. He has scored 20 goals in the past, however, he’s not necessarily someone expected to contribute offensively on a regular basis. Cizikas is a career 51.5% in the faceoff circle, he’s played a shut-down role most of his career, and he’s well versed in the postseason with 80 games of Stanley Cup Playoff experience. With David Kampf making $2.4 million, and Connor Dewar performing well of late at $1.1 million, it’s hard to convince me that Cizikas would be an upgrade, in any sense of the word.
While the Islanders have a couple of options for the Maple Leafs to consider for their third-line centre, it feels for now, the team is going to try and get healthy, balance out their roster with the returnees, while providing 20-year-old Fraser Minten a chance at a regular role. For those wondering, Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat would look great in blue and white, but that’s not happening, anytime soon.
So, with all of this being said, keep an eye on Minten’s development over the course of the next few weeks. If he’s able to showcase himself as a fixture in the Leafs’ lineup, there’s a chance Treliving focuses on adding an impact player on the wing, as apposed to finding a veteran to add down the middle of the ice.
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