WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Islanders, who arrived here on Sunday for the first of four stops in Canada on their seven-game road trip, are in second place in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the Hurricanes, who also lead the Eastern Conference.
So yes, the Islanders — who will play the struggling Jets on Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre after Saturday’s scrappy 4-3 overtime win in Minnesota — are a serious, legitimate playoff contender capable of making a long run if goalie Ilya Sorokin continues to play the way he has.
But with top-six wing Kyle Palmieri (left knee) and third-pair, lefthanded defenseman Alexander Romanov (right shoulder) done for the regular season, they also have glaring lineup holes. General manager Mathieu Darche and coach Patrick Roy have had a revolving door of in-house candidates trying to secure those roles.
At some point, Darche almost certainly will have to go outside the organization for help. The NHL trade deadline is March 6, but there also is an Olympic break roster freeze in effect from Feb. 4-22.
“The roster freeze doesn’t mean you don’t have discussions with other teams,” Darche said. “Sometimes it’s easier because you don’t say, ‘Let’s see how my guy plays tomorrow.’ Or ‘I have a player that is injured.’ Or you work on something and two games later, the player gets injured.
“Would you like to do something before the roster freeze? Maybe, because it gives more time for the players to acclimate to a new environment. But you never know when it’s going to happen because it takes two to tango. It’s going to come quick after the Olympics, for sure.”
On the flip side, captain Anders Lee, versatile center Jean-Gabriel Pageau and invaluable backup goalie David Rittich are pending unrestricted free agents, though Darche said he would be comfortable retaining them past the trade deadline without new deals in place.
“It was the first time going through it last time and you had a lot of career left, a lot more in front of you,” said Lee, 35, who is in the last season of a seven-year, $49 million deal. “But there’s that same uncertainty.”
Here are five potential trade targets for the Islanders:
1. LW Artemi Panarin (Rangers)
Put this in the fantasy category because the New York rivals have made only three trades since the Islanders were born in 1972 and none since 2010, and Rangers GM Chris Drury is having a tough enough time without snapping that streak. But Darche at least needs to inquire. Repeatedly. The pending UFA’s playmaking and scoring abilities would be perfect for the Islanders, and former president/GM Lou Lamoriello was absolutely correct in his dogged pursuit of Panarin in 2019 before he chose Broadway. The other issue is Panarin’s $11.6 million salary cap hit, meaning the Rangers almost certainly would have to retain salary, driving the trade price up further.
2. RW Kiefer Sherwood (Canucks)
The pending UFA, 30, has been a steady producer in his season-plus in Vancouver. He has 17 goals and six assists in 44 games this season on an expiring two-year, $3 million deal. Sherwood’s affordability will make him attractive to many playoff contenders.
3. LW Blake Coleman (Flames)
Ideally, Darche would acquire a top-six wing; Coleman, 34, in the fifth season of a six-year, $29.4 million deal, is a solid third-liner and penalty-killer. Acquiring Coleman likely would commit Roy to playing either Anthony Duclair or Simon Holmstrom in the top six. But Darche, previously the Lightning’s assistant GM, saw Coleman’s value firsthand as Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.
4. C/RW Steven Stamkos (Predators)
The 35-year-old future Hall of Famer, who recently reached the 600-goal plateau, is only two seasons into a four-year, $32 million deal, and Darche would have to pull off some financial gymnastics for this. Again, however, Darche knows Stamkos’ value from their time and Cup wins together with Tampa Bay. Former Islanders coach Barry Trotz, now the Predators’ GM, still has a very cordial relationship with his previous organization. Stamkos has 18 goals in 44 games after scoring 27 in 2024-25 in his first season with the Predators.
5. D Logan Stanley (Jets)
The 27-year-old is about to cash in as a UFA off a two-year, $2.5 million deal. He would be a pure trade rental if the Jets decide they can’t re-sign him. At 6-7, 231 pounds, he would replace Romanov’s physicality on the left side. He has a career-high seven goals to go with seven assists in 43 games.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.