Lamoriello willing to listen to offers for two star players?!

You better believe many teams will be calling!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Lamoriello willing to listen to offers for two star players?!
Zuma Press

When you put the words “losing star player” and “New York Islanders” in the same sentence, it just feel like the poor franchise just went through such an ordeal. This summer, John Tavares said goodbye to the team that selected him first overall back in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, and moved on, signing a lucrative contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent on July 1st. While fans were hoping it only meant a fresh start for the Islanders, they might have to get ready for more shocking changes this season as well. 

No one has mentioned the word rebuild in Brooklyn yet, seeing that young talented forward Matthew Barzal looks focused on playing well and making the team a Stanley Cup contender once again along with veteran captain Anders Lee. However, it seems like he might have to do it without a few other star players… 

According to the Fourth Period editor in chief David Pagnotta, top-line defenseman Nick Leddy remains on the radar of several teams looking to bolster their back end and new general manager Lou Lamoriello is expected to listen to offers coming in. While Pagnotta points out that nothing is imminent at the moment when it comes to Leddy, Lamoriello might have no choice to pull the trigger on a trade if there is an offer he simply cannot refuse. 


Then a fan asked if the same could be said of star forward Jordan Eberle, who hasn’t begun contract extension talks with the Islanders. Pagnotta added that he is sure Eberle will be discussed later on in the season, perhaps amongst trade chatter. 


When Eberle revealed that he was not planning on talking extension just yet, trade rumors did not waste time to start going around the league. 

Although the 28-year-old did not say he was looking to leave the Islanders, if that is the case, the team will have to move him ahead of the February trade deadline if it does not want to lose him for nothing. 

Eberle came to the New York Islanders in a shocking trade with the Edmonton Oilers that sent Ryan Strome the other way during the summer of 2016. Making $6 million against the salary cap this season, Eberle has the second-highest average annual value of any winger set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. 

It would be heart-breaking for the Islanders fan base to go through another Tavares-like situation with Eberle next summer. GM Lamoriello might feel the need to remedy the whole thing ahead of time, and Eberle could become one of the biggest trade commodity on the market in February. 

Eberle has been a major contributor to the Islanders, however, he seems to be having some trouble kicking things off this season: the veteran forward has only collected two assists in seven contests this campaign. 

The Islanders are facing the Florida Panthers tonight and Eberle and Leddy will once again be watched by many rival teams across the league. 

Source: Twitter