New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche made two notable trades this week, adding Carson Soucy and Ondrej Palat from rivals. As Darche rewards his team's strong start to the season, what else can we expect from the Isles?
The New York Islanders have been one of the NHL's best pleasant surprises this season.
After finishing nine points out of a playoff spot last season, they're 28-19-5 this year to sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division standings.
Islanders first-year GM Mathieu Darche came into the year with all kinds of landing strip to put his team on the road to being a year-in, year-out Stanley Cup playoff team.
But unexpectedly, the Isles have become a legitimate Stanley Cup playoff group. And they aren't going to take this opportunity to make the playoffs for granted.
In the last two days, Darche rewarded his team for their strong play by adding two veterans via separate trades with the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.
"I want to reward the players for putting us in this position to get to the playoffs," Darche told reporters on Wednesday. "These are two players that will help us as we push towards the playoff."
On Monday, the Islanders acquired defenseman Carson Soucy from the Blueshirts in return for a third-round draft pick this summer, and on Tuesday, the Isles picked up left winger Ondrej Palat, a third-rounder in 2026 and a sixth-rounder in 2027 from the Devils in exchange for Maxim Tsyplakov.
The two trades stand out for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you rarely see trades between the Islanders and their arch-rivals in Manhattan. And two trades in two days involving two Metro Division rivals is about as rare as it gets for the Isles. But while there is some risk involved in Darche's moves, you can also see the upside of the deals.
By trading for Soucy, the Islanders bolster their defense corps, which took a hit with the injury to blueliner Alexander Romanov. Soucy is slated to be a UFA at the end of this season, so he'll be motivated to play well on Long Island and perhaps earn himself a lucrative contract extension.
The 31-year-old Soucy is averaging 17:13 of ice time this year, so he can slot in nicely on the Islanders' third defense pair – and his big body and physical play will improve the Isles' back end.
Meanwhile, in Palat, the Islanders are getting a two-time Cup winner whose stock has dropped in recent months because he has only four goals and 10 points in 51 games. Palat's $6 million salary runs through the end of next season, which is why Darche was able to add two draft picks in the trade.
Palat's playoff pedigree is attractive. He has 103 points in 155 playoff games, including two assists in five games last post-season, and seven points in 12 games in 2022-23. Palat practised with Bo Horvat and Emil Heineman on Wednesday, according to The Hockey News' Stefen Rosner, so he should have every opportunity to assert himself as a meaningful contributor.
The Islanders currently have $6 million in salary cap space, but that's because Romanov and forwards Kyle Palmieri and Pierre Engvall are almost assuredly out of action for the rest of the regular season. But next year, Darche is projected to have $22.5 million even after this week's two trades. So he can re-sign Soucy and still have plenty of cap space to address other needs.
Ultimately, the additions of Palat and Soucy are an investment in this team as it tries to exceed expectations and cause damage in the playoffs. And they've got enough cap space to add talent by or before the NHL's March 6 trade deadline.
"We're a better team today than we were yesterday with those two players, so if something else comes up that I can improve the team, I'll look at it," Darche said.
Palat and Soucy aren't likely to be massive difference-makers for the Isles. But as we all know by now, the playoffs are a war of attrition. And adding depth both at forward and on 'D' can only be helpful for the Islanders. So Isles fans should be pleased with these additions.
Darche has added talent without taking away from other areas, and the Isles can now move forward as a deeper, stronger squad.
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