When the New York Islanders [http://thn.com/isles] sent defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens], the two picks coming back the other way, No. 16 and No. 17, were the standouts. However, a 23-year-old forward named Emil Heineman was included in the deal. Heineman has played in 68 NHL games, all with Montreal, recording 10 goals and eight assists, which all came last season in 62 games, his rookie campaign. The second round pick by the Florida Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers] in 2020 and his rights were sent to the Calgary Flames [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames] in the Sam Bennett trade back in April of 2021, before Calgary sent his rights and Tyler Pitlick to Montreal for Tyler Tofolli in February of 2022. Following the Islanders' trade with Montreal, general manager Mathieu Darche shared that he made it a necessity for Heineman to be included in the Dobson trade. "Emil, we really wanted him to be in the trade. So we push till the end for him to be in the trade, because he's a player the league kind of discovered this year," Darche said during his post-first-round draft press conference. "He had a great start to the year, and people might not remember, but around Christmas, it was going great. Then he got, unfortunately, hit by a car in Utah, and missed two months, which stole his year.' "But you see, his first year in the NHL, he scored 10 goals playing mostly on the fourth line. So we see potential. He's a strong kid who skates great. He's got a rocket of a shot, like, if you look at his goals, it's a high velocity shot that can score. So we still have potential in this player. The cap, you right now works. It helps us maybe create other opportunities somewhere else, because he's an established NHL player now, and we feel he can only improve in the coming years." The Islanders signed Heineman, a restricted free agent, to a two-year deal worth $2.2 million annually. On Sunday, former Islanders defenseman turned MSG analyst Thomas Hickey joined Hockey Night in New York [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/thomas-hickey-talks-islanders-on-hockey-night-in-new-york], discussed his excitement for Heineman. "I saw him, I think, five times last season," Hickey, who works on the Prime Monday Night Hockey broadcast, said. "I was doing Habs games at ice level and for the first four games I saw him, his line was the best line on the ice [...] each game I kept coming away, saying, Heineman, he's one of their best players tonight." The expectation is that Heineman is going to slot in on the Islanders' fourth line, alongside Casey Cizikas and then, maybe, Maxim Tsyplakov, depending on how the depth chart shakes out. Here's a Heineman highlight reel: Heineman fits the Darche and Roy mold. While he may not be Cal Clutterbuck, he will be tasked with providing a spark with his physicality and shot. 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. PHOTO: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
