The New York Islanders are a playoff contender after being trade deadline sellers last season. They acquired center Brayden Schenn from the St. Louis Blues.
The New York Islanders made a big addition to their center group by bringing in veteran Brayden Schenn from the St. Louis Blues.
The Islanders sent St. Louis left winger Jonathan Drouin, a 2026 first-round pick that originally belonged to the Colorado Avalanche, a 2026 third-round pick that orginally belonged to the New Jersey Devils and goaltender Marcus Gidlof.
Victory+ insider Frank Seravalli reported that Schenn waived his 15-team no-trade clause to join the Islanders.
With this addition, Schenn will likely fill a hole down the middle of the Islanders' second or third line.
Schenn won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019 and has spent nine seasons with them. This year, he's put up 12 goals and 28 points while averaging 16:41 of ice time in 61 games. Last year, he registered 18 goals and 50 points in 82 games. His faceoff win percentage has improved in the past two seasons as well.
The New York Islanders Rebound From Last Season
For a team that traded center Brock Nelson at last year's NHL trade deadline and was expected to hang around the bottom of the standings this season, the Islanders are officially back as a playoff contender.
In the last seven years, the Isles appeared in the playoffs for all but two campaigns. In that span, they advanced to the playoff semifinals in 2020 and 2021.
New York finished nine points outside the playoffs with a 35-35-12 record. However, in Mathieu Darche's first season as the team's GM, it looks like the Islanders are getting back to playing important games in April.
It's been an excellent bounce-back year for the Islanders.
A lot of that change came with drafting defenseman Matthew Schaefer first overall, but Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat have averaged 0.90 and 0.88 points per game, respectively. And goalie Ilya Sorokin is a Vezina Trophy contender with a .913 save percentage and 2.54 goals-against average.
The Islanders also added defenseman Carson Soucy from the New York Rangers in January. And coach Patrick Roy deserves credit for leading the way as well.
When the Islanders were in the process of missing the playoffs last season, they traded away Nelson to the Avalanche as one of the most sought-after centers on the trade market. They received a first-rounder as part of that deal.
But now that they are back in the mix, Schenn, who was captain of the Blues, could slide into the role Nelson once had. And that first-rounder they earned for Nelson is going to St. Louis
With as wide-open as the Eastern Conference has been in terms of parity, the Islanders can be more than just a playoff team this year and even make a run.
As it stands, the Islanders are lined up to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first-round of the post-season. Like the Isles, the Penguins were another team expected to be competing for the draft lottery but instead are second in the Metropolitan Division, surprising the hockey world.
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