Great trades in Islanders history
Pat LaFontaine of the New York Islanders during a home game at Nassau Coliseum, in March 1984. Credit: Getty Images / Bruce Bennett
With the 2018 NHL trade deadline approaching, the Islanders could be involved in the frenzy. Here are five of the team’s best deals over the years.
1980: Islanders trade Billy Harris and Dave Lewis to the Los Angeles Kings for Butch Goring.
Goring’s contributions on the ice were a big part of the Islanders dynasty from 1980 to 1983. In the center’s six years on the Island, the team won four Stanley Cups. He made an immediate impact, scoring seven goals during the postseason alone in 1980. He finished with 195 points in his time with the Islanders.
1981: Islanders trade Bob Lorimer and Dave Cameron to the Colorado Rockies for a first-round pick.
With that pick, the Islanders selected center Pat LaFontaine. Lorimer was a solid defenseman, and Cameron’s career only lasted three seasons. LaFontaine went on to be one of the best scorers in Islanders history. In eight seasons with the Islanders, LaFontaine notched 566 points. In the 1989-90 season, he scored totaled 105 points (54 goals, 51 assists). He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.
2015: Islanders trade Griffin Reinhart to the Edmonton Oilers for two first-round picks.
Those two picks were used to select Mathew Barzal, a rookie phenom this season with the Isles, and winger Anthony Beauvillier. Barzal has 62 points in his first 61 games. Both make up the Islanders’ second line that has provided them a great scoring punch. Reinhart played 29 games for the Oilers in 2015-2016. He was selected by the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft and plays for their AHL affiliate.
2014: Islanders trade T.J. Brennan, Ville Pokka, and Anders Nilsson to the Chicago Blackhawks for Nick Leddy and Kent Simpson.
The Blackhawks needed to create cap space, so they dealt the young puck-moving defenseman to the Islanders just before the season. Now 26, Leddy has averaged 22:06 minutes of ice time per game with the Islanders and become a mainstay on their first pair. Leddy’s vision and power play presence is an added bonus. However, the Blackhawks have nothing to show for the assets acquired from the Islanders. None of them logged a minute in the NHL with Chicago, and none are even with the team.
1990: Islanders trade Doug Crossman to the Hartford Whalers for Ray Ferraro
Ferraro spent five years with the Islanders and had 238 points in 316 games in blue and orange. His best season with the Islanders was when he scored 40 goals and 40 assists for 80 points in the 1991-1992 season. Crossman spent one year with the Whalers before joining the Red Wings the following season.
