Jake Guentzel Trade Potential & Islanders' Christmas Wish List
Plus, how are the team's prospects performing and which ones are playing at the 2024 World Junior Championship?
Welcome to the THW New York Islanders Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Islanders writers.
In today’s edition, we look at why the Islanders could consider trading for Pittsburgh Penguin Jake Guentzel and the obstacles that could stand in the way, how the team’s prospects are performing, and which players are currently playing in the 2024 WJC.
Plus, how is the team doing at the Christmas break and what was on the team’s wish list?
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Now, on to the good stuff…
A Jake Guentzel-to-Islanders Trade Has Obstacles in the Way
December 27, 2023 by Mike Fink
The Pittsburgh Penguins went all in this offseason with the addition of Erik Karlsson. The move signaled they were doubling or even tripling down on the aging core with the hopes of making one last run at the Stanley Cup. At 15-13-4 and in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins are in a difficult spot as a teardown looks possible if not likely not only in the offseason but at the trade deadline in a few months.
A teardown puts them at a crossroads, particularly with Jake Guentzel, their 29-year-old star forward who is a pending free agent after the season. The Penguins ideally sign him to a long-term deal but along with minimal salary cap space to work with, it will be a tall task, especially with the team continuing to struggle in the Eastern Conference. The New York Islanders are one of the teams that would love to acquire him and add him to their top six. Yet, there are some if not many obstacles preventing them from making the deal.
Islanders Prospect Report: Bridgeport, WJC and More
December 26, 2023 by Michael Ostrower
As the New York Islanders sit in a playoff spot over the Christmas break, it is a great time to look at how their prospects are doing. Despite the team’s most recent first-round pick being in 2019 where they selected Swedish winger Simon Holmstrom, Islanders fans have quite a few prospects who they should be looking forward to seeing in the NHL.
4 Things We Learned About the Islanders by Christmas Break
December 25, 2023 by Mike Fink
The 2023-24 NHL season has officially hit the Christmas break. Teams won’t play again until Dec. 27, and the few days off will give everyone, from front offices to coaches to players to those who work in the arenas, some much-needed time off. Now is the perfect time to take a step back and look at the New York Islanders’ season thus far. They’ve played 33 games, which should provide enough insight into how they’ve changed and how they’ll be successful down the stretch.
At one point, the Islanders were a mess. The sky was falling when they lost their seventh game in a row on Nov. 16, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken to drop them to 5-6-5 on the season. Since then, they’ve gone 11-2-4 and have leaped into second place in the Metropolitan Division, indicating that the sky is the limit for this team. While the next few months will bring a lot of uncertainty, we’ve learned a lot of lessons so far, specifically about the roster.
Islanders Fans Have 2 Prospects to Follow at 2024 WJC
December 23, 2023 by Michael Ostrower
With the World Junior Championship (WJC) starting on Dec. 26 in Gothenburg, Sweden, New York Islanders fans will have just two prospects to watch in the tournament. After initially being placed on Team Sweden’s preliminary roster, it came out that Calle Odelius did not make the final cut due to a foot injury sustained on Nov. 23. Nonetheless, the Islanders will be represented by Americans Danny Nelson and Quinn Finley.
New York Islanders 2023 Christmas Shopping List
December 22, 2023 by Mike Fink
One of the themes this season from The Hockey Writers has been Dear Santa wish lists for teams around the league. You can read all about them here, here, and here. And here, here, here, here, and here, and just in case that wasn’t enough, there’s also one over here.
New York Islanders fans have a very specific wish list. As a fanbase that loves a good bargain (the commute to and from UBS Arena isn’t cheap), a small but valuable gift will be appreciated but at the same time, there are some things that the fans truly want. With this in mind, let’s look at some of the gifts the Islanders can provide this season and put them into categories, with the first being a few that would be the bare minimum.