PAINFUL EXIT: Winnipeg Jets top veteran Forward is gone…

It’s time for another round of NHL rumours. The Stanley Cup Final is almost set, but there are plenty of NHL Rumours to go around. Teams that were eliminated from the chase for the silver chalice are trying to find a way to get back to the Promised Land. This means plenty of off-season fireworks could be in the offing. The New York Islanders were eliminated in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes. New York will want to improve that finish next season. Today’s NHL rumours focus on the Isles possible pursuit of a Winnipeg Jets forward.

New York Islanders to Pursue Winnipeg Jets Forward?

Rumour: David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said that Islanders want to acquire assets like first-round picks. Pagnotta added these could sweeteners for General Manger Lou Lamoriello in his quest to add another forward. In a separate item, the desired forward seems to be Nikolaj Ehlers of the Jets.

Analysis: New York seemed dead in the water around the All-Star Break. However, the hiring of Patrick Roy as head coach and a weak group of teams allowed the Islanders to clinch a playoff spot. The Isles were dumped out of the post-season by the Hurricanes, but positive steps were taken.

Roy helped reorganize the defensive group, but the lack of scoring pop doomed the team. Lamoriello seems to be aware of this and it seems like the club is going to be active in adding some scoring punch.

Acquiring Assets

New York made a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks late in the week in a swap of picks. The Blackhawks got the 18th and 50th overall picks of the draft from the Islanders. In turn, New York received the 20th and 54th selections in addition to receiving the 61st overall pick. Lamoriello moved back in both the first-round and second-round in order to gain another second-round pick. 

Pagnotta said the Islanders might try to pull off at least one more trade like this in order to stockpile picks. These selections could be used to sweeten any potential deal. May this also be used to try and take on an undesirable contract? The Islanders have a projected $6.2 million of cap space according to Capfriendly. However, Oliver Wahlstrom needs a new deal and the Noah Dobson contract is coming up soon. Lamoriello likely has to clear out some space in order to make a deal happen.

A number of veteran players also have expiring deals as of July 1. However, these contracts for players like Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck will probably be low-cost deals with a minimal cap hit.

Clearing the Way

The Islanders might be forced to deal someone with a sizeable cap hit in order to acquire Ehlers. Winnipeg’s enigmatic forward is in the final year of a deal that sees him making $6 million. It seems that Ehlers is likely not going to re-sign with the Jets after the 2024-25 season. This means Jets General Manger Kevin Cheveldayoff knows this and is probably going to flip Ehlers rather than let him walk away for nothing on July 1, 2025.

The NHL Draft is coming soon and that means we could see a flurry of activity. As mentioned before, the asset acquisition and the quest for Ehlers aren’t connected at this time. However, the two things could end up working in concert with each other. Every action has a reaction and clearing cap space could line up a path to bring Ehlers to Elmont, NY.

The Islanders need to improve their offence this off-season. Adding a player like Ehlers could what this team needs. However, the price