Rosner On Nelson's Goal New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-brock-nelson-4-nations-face-off-injury-team-usa-2025-nhl-trade-deadline-2025-nhl-free-agency] centerman Jean-Gabriel Pageau is not a pending unrestricted free agent until next season, but that doesn't mean teams won't be calling general manager Lou Lamoriello ahead of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. The 32-year-old centerman, who carries a cap hit of $5 million, is in the midst of a bounce-back season, with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 52 games, winning 59.7% of his face-offs, which would be a new career-high. On top of his shut-down style playing on the Islanders' third line, Pageau is also the team's top penalty killer, which makes him a valuable asset to any kind of playoff-hopeful or Stanley Cup-contending team. I've heard a few teams out west, including the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers, have shown interest in Pageau. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEyODA4MTEzMzI0MDQxNzM3/usatsi_22357985.jpg] Vegas currently has around $2.28 million in available cap space, but that could increase depending on how bad Shea Theodore's injury is ($5.2 M AAV). It sounds like Theodore could be out until the playoffs, so if he lands on long-term injured reserve, that would give them $7.48 million to work with. With centerman William Karlsson out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, who knows when he'll be back? Right now, Brett Howden is playing the second-line center role, with Tomas Hertl on the third line, per DailyFaceoff.com [https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/vegas-golden-knights/line-combinations]. Acquiring Pageau would undoubtedly make them incredibly deep down the middle. The Golden Knights have second and third-round pick in this upcoming Draft. Edmonton is pretty deep at the center position, with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Adam Henrique. However, acquiring another center would allow head coach Kris Knoblauch to play McDavid with Draisaitl more often. Edmonton only has $631,883 in available cap space, which is problematic for adding talent. The Oilers do not have a second-round pick in 2025, but they do have a third. Pageau has a 16-team modified no-trade clause. The expectation is that the Islanders would retain money on most deals but this kind of move would be for salary clearing purposes. The belief is that if the Islanders do decide to trade pending unrestricted free agent Brock Nelson, there will be a domino effect on Long Island as they try to retool on the fly. Pagaeu has been an incredibly valuable Islander and has done a ton for Simon Holmstrom, who is emerging as a strong middle-six forward. If Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello believes in his group, even without Brock Nelson if he's moved, Pageau likely stays put. Pageau does have positive value on the trade market, as opposed to last season when he struggled to play to his strengths. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwpuDfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
