NY Islanders Have Obvious Trade Candidate If They Sell at Trade Deadline

If the New York Islanders end up being sellers at the trade deadline, they will have a very obvious trade candidate.

Mar 21, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a New York Islanders logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders have gotten off to a fine start to the season, and the team will be hoping to continue their success going forward. However, what the plan will be when the NHL trade deadline comes will be interesting to see. 

Coming into the campaign, expectations for the Islanders were pretty mixed. This was a team that just missed the playoffs last year and kept the roster pretty much the same. However, with other teams in the Eastern Conference improving, not too many predicted the Islanders to be a playoff contender. 

As of now, there is still a lot of season to go, and what the plan for the Islanders will be going forward is still unknown. However, if they are an active team at the trade deadline, they will have one potential trade candidate that will be an interesting name to watch. 

Shayna Goldman of The Athletic recently wrote about the most likely trade candidate for the Islanders this season being veteran forward Kyle Palmieri. 

Palmieri Makes Sense if Islanders Fall From Contention 

Sep 30, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri (21) shoots the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the ultimate goal for New York will be to make the playoffs this year, whether or not they will be able to accomplish that remains to be seen. So far, the team has been surviving without one of their star offensive players, Mathew Barzal. 

The Islanders have been very careful with it being a long season not to rush him back. However, through eight games, he has yet to see the ice. Despite this, New York is 4-3-1. 

One player who the team is happy to have back in the lineup this year is Palmieri. The veteran forward has been a very good player for the team over the years, but he suffered a torn ACL last year and missed a big chunk of the season. 

As expected this year, Palmieri might be a bit rusty coming back from missing so much time. So far, he has totaled three points with two goals and one assist. With some injuries popping up at forward for the Islanders, he has been moved around a bit on the lines to try and find a spot that is best. 

It wasn’t too long ago during the 2024-25 campaign that Palmieri scored 24 goals. If he gets back to that level of production, it would firstly be good for New York, but also if they look to trade him. 

With the Islanders going in a bit of a new direction with youth starting to take over, Palmieri is a prime trade candidate if they start to struggle.