Could Islanders Package Brock Nelson & Kyle Palmieri In A Trade Deadline Deal To The Same Team?

With the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline a few days away, the New York Islanders' path still remains uncertain.

Despite winning two of their last three games and getting some out-of-town scoreboard help, there's still a handful of teams wedged between them and the second Wild Card spot.

Selling is a plausible option, especially with this being a seller's market:

If the Islanders are sellers at the deadline – and that is a major question mark – they would have two of the most valuable players available who have chemistry together. 

Brock Nelson would be the top center available at the deadline, due to his scoring ability, special teams impact, veteran leadership, consistency, and affordable $6 million cap hit, which expires after this season.

Though he has 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 59 games this season, his track record of producing above a 30-goal pace makes him an enticing target for any contender.

Kyle Palmieri is another valuable trade piece for similar reasons, with a slightly lower $5 million cap hit through the end of the season.

He has 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) in 59 games and brings an aggressive, fast-paced, drive to the net mentality, making him an appealing option for teams looking to bolster their middle-six forward group.

So, if the Islanders decided to sell, they would be able to capitalize on the value each forward holds by packaging them as a duo.

Alone, Nelson will likely fetch a first-round pick and another substantial asset, while Palmieri could land around a second-round pick or a package of assets amounting to a similar value.

However, if the Islanders trade Nelson and Palmieri as a package, they could secure a bigger return than if they moved them separately, as bundling the two could help the team land a major asset rather than just a few smaller pieces.

Not to mention, packaged together with salary retention, their combined cap hit could be as low as $5.5 million.

The first team that comes to mind in a package deal is the New Jersey Devils.

Although they are division rivals, the Islanders and Devils have completed two significant trades under their current general managers. 

The Islanders acquired Andy Greene on Feb. 16, 2020, and later added Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac on April 8, 2021.

Of course, the roles were revered in these deals, with the Islanders as buyers, not sellers, but that does not mean Lou Lamoriello will shy from partnering within the division if the right trade arises.

For New Jersey, the 2024-25 season has exposed the forward core’s Achilles heel to be the bottom six, so adding Nelson and Palmieri would alleviate much of their playoff push.

With Jack Hughes contemplating surgery and Dougie Hamilton going down with an injury, if both landed on long-term injured reserve, that would give the Devils an additional $17 million in cap space on top of their $1.874 million in space right now. 

If just Hughes, that number is close to $10 million.

In return, the Islanders could look a few directions, with Seamus Casey and Simon Nemec as the two main targets.

Whether either of these defensemen could get moved is unknown, but the surplus of right-shot defensemen currently on the Devils’ roster could make them expendable.

Away from the Devils, the Islanders could look to package Nelson and Palmieri in a deal with the Minnesota Wild, who recently lost center Joel Eriksson Ek with a lower-body injury and are without winger Kirill Kaprizov “long-term.”

The Wild have $7.525 million in cap space, but are expecting both of their injured players back before the end of the regular season. 

So, they'd need to have the cap space to activate both, making a trade for two players unlikely, but not impossible. 

In return, the Islanders' ideal target would be Zeev Buium, the 19-year-old defenseman at the University of Denver who has an NCAA national championship and two World Junior Championship victories to his name.

However, Buium is untouchable for obvious reasons, meaning the Islanders could pivot to prospects like Danila Yurov, Riley Heidt, or Liam Ohgren, who are all enticing but just a tier or two below Buium.

The Vegas Golden Knights, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, and Winnipeg Jets are among the teams that could pursue Nelson and Palmieri together. Trade rumors have linked all of them to at least one of them.

However, since these teams already have deep forward groups, they are more likely to target just one rather than both.

The Islanders have no more games before the deadline, so a decision may not be imminent, but the clock is ticking.

The official NHL Trade Deadline is 3 P.M. EST on March 7.

Michael Ostrower contributed to this story. 

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