New York Islanders: Jean-Gabriel Pageau must remain at center despite trade

Jean-Gabriel Pageau must remain at center for the New York Islanders.

The New York Islanders kicked off the Trade Deadline season on Wednesday in style as they acquired a scorer in winger Kyle Palmieri and a depth forward in centerman Travis Zajac from the New Jersey Devils. My colleague Andrew Steele-Davis broke the trade down and what it meant for the Islanders earlier this morning.

Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz has “new toys to play with”, as I put it on Twitter yesterday. It is rather intriguing to see just what he does. One thing he cannot do is move Jean-Gabriel Pageau out of the center position regardless of line combinations.

New York Islanders have new toys but Jean-Gabriel Pageau needs to stay at center

While Pageau may be as versatile a player as the two new acquisitions, he has been a force in the faceoff dot, winning 56.6 percent of draws this season. He is out there in crunch time in the defensive zone and I think a move to either wing would be more of a negative impact than people may think.

Travis Zajac is not a bad faceoff man by any means, as he has won 53.7 percent of his draws over his 15-year NHL career. But this season, that number has dipped to 49.9 percent, his lowest mark to date. That does not mean he can’t raise it on this Islander team, but it should not come as a swap for Pageau.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Pageau has taken 298 defensive zone draws this season, with 244 of them having come at even strength. While his faceoff percentage in his own zone is not available, he is entrusted to take those key draws. He would not be if he were not winning the majority of them.

Last game, Pageau won the most critical draw. The Washington Capitals had pulled their goaltender and needed a goal to tie the game with just seconds remaining in regulation, but they did not get a chance due to Pageau’s clean win.

Brock Nelson, the team’s second-line centerman, has not had a great season production-wise. Yes, he has 14 goals but only has nine even-strength goals in 39 games. Nelson is a career 47.4 percent in the faceoff dot, with that number currently sitting at 49.5 percent. The Islanders could move Nelson to the wing, a left-handed shot in that left-wing spot.

Nelson can use his 6-foot-4, 212 pound frame along the left-hand boards to win battles, make key passes to the slot or to the point. He can also sit backdoor for the tap-ins.

We have seen Nelson be a streaky player over his eight years with the club. Maybe that could be associated with the high focus needed to play the center role at the NHL level. His offensive output will be a crucial component to how far this Islanders team can go in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and taking the stress away from Nelson may be beneficial.

The 29-year old center has one of the best releases on the Islanders, so if he can focus on finding space as a pass option and letting that puck go without hesitation, we could see the goals start to pile up on a more consistent basis.

What this move also allows Coach Trotz to do is put Anthony Beauvillier back alongside Pageau and Oliver Wahlstrom. When these three lads were together, we saw great things. Beauvillier, who had been off to a slow start, looked like a changed man. That third-line is the most lethal package that one can put together given the personnel.

The Islanders face the Flyers tonight as both new acquisitions are expected to play. We will see what the line rushes are in warmups and what Trotz is thinking moving forward. The goal right now is to solidify lines to allow for chemistry building and if Trotz can find what clicks rather quickly, this lineup will be one of the deeper ones in all of the NHL.

Just do not move Jean-Gabriel Pageau out of the center position.