The mind-shocking chatter that the New York Islanders are entertaining the idea of trading Mathew Barzal has left fans reaching for their stress tabs.
While it’s not surprising that the Islanders would be getting calls on Barzal, it is hard to digest that the Isles would actually consider moving their best two-way player.
That said, an unlikely insider dropped an update that all Islanders fans wanted to hear. In a June 5 piece in The Athletic, Michael Russo, known as a Minnesota Wild insider, delivered a highly encouraging update on Barzal and the Islanders.
In the piece, Russo described how the Wild called the Isles about Barzal, but got the cold shoulder.
“I believe the Wild called on Barzal last offseason, but while we know the Islanders are getting calls on him, there is no evidence to suggest they want to trade him.”
Yes, NHL GMs are within their purview to call around and inquire about players’ availabilities. In fact, it’s a normal part of their jobs. But there’s a difference between getting calls about a player and actually shopping him.
Those are two different situations, and it seems the Islanders are not shopping Barzal by any means.
The chatter surrounding Barzal’s potential availability started when an article in the Ottawa Citizen by Bruce Garrioch stated that the Islanders were looking to trade Barzal to open up cap space.
At face value, the comment seemed logical. Hence, the storm of speculation surrounding Barzal started.
But there really isn’t much substance to the claim. It’s not to say that Mr. Garrioch is lying. But there are times when a conversation or a mild inquiry can get out of proportion. The NHL insider business tends to be a highly competitive one, and, well, sometimes reports get out of hand very quickly.
It’s worth pointing out that Michael Russo is as solid as they come in the NHL insider business. And if he says the Wild have kicked the tires but have gotten zilch out of the conversation, I think we should take his word for it.
It will take a lot, and I mean a ton, to pry Barzal away from the Islanders. Unless Barzal requests a trade, which is something that could become more commonplace in the NHL, Barzal likely won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
