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NHL Trade Rumors: New York Islanders Want To Add Top 4 Defenseman

By Dave Stevenson

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 13: Jaroslav Halak #41 and the New York Islanders celebrate after defeating the New York Rangers 7-2 at Madison Square Garden on January 13, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 13: Jaroslav Halak #41 and the New York Islanders celebrate after defeating the New York Rangers 7-2 at Madison Square Garden on January 13, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the New York Islanders hope to add a top 4 defenseman

The New York Islanders currently have one of the best offenses in the NHL. Entering Jan. 18, only the Tampa Bay Lightning have scored more goals than them. However, the Isles defense has been another story. No team has allowed more goals per game than them. With several defensemen available, the Isles have been the subject of several NHL trade rumors.

Most recently, the worst kept secret in the NHL has been released. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic believes the Islanders are looking to add a top-four defenseman. It starts at roughly the 8:00 mark.

"[Islanders general manager] Garth Snow, if he thinks his team has a chance make it, would like to upgrade the top four. Definitely needs help on defense."

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LeBrun believes the blueline will be the primary focus for the Islanders. Of course, a lot can change in a month. If Thomas Greiss and Jaroslav Halak can’t step up their game, they could potentially be interested in someone like Robin Lehner or Petr Mrazek.

The Islanders have this need just months after trading Travis Hamonic to the Calgary Flames at the NHL Draft. Hindsight is 20/20, but it’s hard to see why the Isles didn’t address their blueline after letting go of one of their best defensemen.

Luckily, in that trade, the Islanders got a second-round pick in 2018, as well as a second rounder in either 2019 or 2020. That should help them in their pursuit of blueline help. The Islanders also have a number of impressive prospects, which should help their cause. One would think Kieffer Bellows, however, is off limits.

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The Islanders are hoping captain John Tavares sticks around, especially with the team finally finding a permanent home at Belmont. This complicates the situation, and perhaps it will force Snow to address the issue sooner as opposed to later. Especially in a very competitive Metropolitan Division.

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