3 players the New York Islanders should trade after playoff exit

3. Kieffer Bellows

Before Islanders fans break out their torches and pitchforks, let me explain myself. Yes, I think Kieffer Bellows is a pretty good player. He impressed me in a cup of coffee in the NHL this season, putting up three points in eight regular season games. At just 22 years old, Bellows still has room to grow.

Now, with that said, there’s a saying. In the NHL, if you want to get something, you’ve got to give up something. If the Islanders want to upgrade their roster, they’re going to have to give up something teams want. Bellows is someone who other teams are going to want.

And let’s be honest, it’s clear the Islanders don’t value Bellows as much as their fanbase does. Why wasn’t he even a part of the group that went to the Toronto and Edmonton bubbles? If the Islanders believed in Bellows, he’d have been there. But he wasn’t there.

Personally, I think the Islanders will keep Bellows. But if they want to upgrade their roster by trading for a goal scorer, they’ll have to give up something good and, again, I think Bellows is the guy teams would want. If the Islanders try to do the impossible and trade Andrew Ladd, I’d be surprised if the other team doesn’t ask for Bellows.

I like Bellows quite a bit, but the writing’s on the wall. It wouldn’t completely surprise me if the Islanders keep him around, but him not even being in the postseason bubbles says a lot about how the Isles view him as a player.