After Trading Nelson, Islanders Stand Pat; Miss Golden Opportunity

After trading Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche last night, the New York Islanders have officially stood pat at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline without making any other trades.

EDIT: The Islanders did make one minor trade. They flipped defenseman Dennis Cholowski to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Adam Beckman.

Beckman, 23, is a third-round pick originally of the Minnesota Wild. Beckman has 13 goals and 33 points this season in 43 games with the Utica Comets.

Previously, Beckman holds 23 games of NHL experience, all with the Wild over multiple seasons, recording three assists. The move likely replaces William Dufour in Bridgeport while trading from a point of excess.

Forward Options:

This morning, it was announced that the Islanders would not be trading Kyle Palmieri, the 34-year-old pending unrestricted free agent. In a vacuum, that isn’t so bad, especially given reports that he’ll take a pay cut to remain in the blue and orange.

But the world isn’t a vacuum. After placing one foot in a boat toward a retool, the Islanders left the other foot on the deck and are now at serious risk of falling in. Despite reports about Palmieri, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Anders Lee attracting interest, none have been moved.

Anthony Beauvillier went for a second-round pick. Brandon Tanev went for a second-round pick. Charlie Coyle just went for Casey Mittelstadt, a second-round pick and a prospect drafted in the third round of the 2024 draft. Scott Laughton went for a first-round pick and a prospect.

The Islanders could have fetched two more first-round picks and more mid-round picks. That’s just the top end. You didn’t have to trade Lee, the captain, but you couldn’t hang on to everybody.

The Islanders seem content to carry nine NHL defensemen for the rest of the season. Mike Reilly is once again practicing in San Jose, so he continues to build to a return. Moreover, Luke Schenn went for a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick.

By not making any additional moves, the Islanders made their statement. They still believe that this group can win. In a year ripe for selling off and kickstarting a summer retool, the Islanders played the same tune they have been. For the next six or so weeks, they will ride out the stretch, hoping to sneak into a final playoff spot. If they do that, they hope to shock the world and win a round, maybe two.

Defense Thoughts:

Adam Boqvist, a blossoming 24-year-old offensive-defenseman, remains boxed out of consistent playing time by Scott Mayfield and Anthony DeAngelo. Yes, Boqvist has his defensive warts, but they are no worse than DeAngelo’s, and now Boqvist is boxed out of a lineup spot.

DeAngelo should’ve been moved for a draft pick. He has no long-term future with the organization, and his defensive play has only regressed as time has gone on. Yes, he’s shown some chemistry with Alexander Romanov, but keeping a pending UFA as you sit 13th in the conference with a slim chance of the playoffs is bad asset management.

Next year, the right side of the defense figures to feature Noah Dobson, barring a shocking trade, one of Ryan Pulock or Scott Mayfield, and the young Boqvist. DeAngelo, who will turn 30 in October, has shown enough where the Islanders could’ve gotten upward of a third-round pick for him, which would’ve been a slam dunk. Instead, the Islanders will carry their nine defensemen, and that doesn’t include Isaiah George, who is currently in Bridgeport for the rest of the season.

It’s possible Mayfield refused to waive his full no-trade clause, and that will not get out if that happened. Regardless, there is no solution to the glut of defensemen in the organization despite a clear appetite for defensemen to be moved.

Practice Notes:

According to Andrew Gross of Newsday, the entire top six started in flux with constant rotations without Brock Nelson. Pageau and Horvat will be the centers. Eventually, it shifted to Simon Holmstrom with Pageau and Lee while Horvat centers Anthony Duclair and Palmieri.

The defense remained the same as it did against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. Boqvist would line up to remain a healthy scratch.

The best news of the day was Marcus Hogberg’s return to practice. Sorokin has played 31 of the last 35 games and desperately needs some relief, which Hogberg will provide soon.

Palmieri has an extension in the works, but there is no news on that front just yet.