The New York Islanders are on the lookout for a left-handed defenseman with Adam Pelech out for 4-6 weeks and no timetable on Mike Reilly‘s return.
Related: Patrick Roy Has His Hands Full Managing Bruised & Battered Islanders Blueline
The simple answer would be to get a cheap bottom-pairing defender, whether that’s via a trade like the one the Islanders made when they acquired Robert Bortuzzo from the St. Louis Blues for a 2024 seventh-round pick or when they acquired Reilly off waivers from the Florida Panthers.
But, with Reilly in the final year of his deal and the blue line’s history of injuries, could the Islanders go and make a long-term move?
They did so at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal when they acquired Alexander Romanov from the Montreal Canadiens, along with the 98th pick for their 13th overall pick in 2022.
A move that was ridiculed at the time, Romanov has turned into a top-flight defenseman, taking tremendous strides on both sides of the puck over the last two years and is still only 24.
If the Canadiens make 23-year-old defenseman Arber Xhekaj available, the Islanders will likely inquire.
I asked @DarrenDreger today about Xhekaj and if he thinks he’s part of the Habs future. Here’s what he said on the Xhekaj question:
“If Kent Hughes ever decided to put Arber Xhekaj on the trade block, there’d be double-digit teams interested in Arber Xhekaj.”
Dreger also went…
— Shaun Starr (@ShaunStarr78) November 1, 2024
So far, in his young NHL career, Xhekaj is playing the way Romanov played when he first broke into the league.
He’s a hitting machine, with 29 in nine games, but he gets caught doing the same thing Romanov used to—chasing hits.
At times, he can be wild out there, but he brings that spark that Romanov brought to Long Island. He hasn’t shown offense, with no points this season, but neither did Romanov when he was in Quebec.
Xhekaj is not afraid to fight, with 27 career tilts, something the Islanders are missing from their game:
As Dreger mentioned, many teams would line up for Xhekaj if he became available, and the Islanders don’t have the prospect pool to compete with most teams.
But before anyone counts Lamoriello out, note what he’s been able to do when a top player in the NHL becomes available on the trade market.
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Jean-Gabriel Pageau was a top trade deadline name in 2020
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Kyle Palmieri was a top trade-deadline name in 2021
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Bo Horvat was to be a top free agent in the summer of 2023
Who knows if Lamoriello would win a bid for Xhekaj, who carries a…