A bombshell was dropped on New York Islanders fans on Monday, June 1st, when Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reported that the Islanders were exploring trading Matt Barzal. The reason cited in the article was the Isles needing to clear cap space. Now, many were quick to write this off as a writer looking for clicks. It would not make much sense for the Islanders to trade one of their best forwards after missing the playoffs by just eight points.
However, a video of Conor Bedard surfaced, adding fuel to the Barzal rumors. He said that his dream linemate would be Barzal. The two skated together when Bedard was in his early teens, and he has always looked at Barzal as a mentor. With the Blackhawks looking to take the next step next season, adding someone like Barzal would definitely make that happen. But could the Islanders and the Blackhawks come together on a Barzal trade?
Connor Bedard’s dream linemate is long time skating partner and mentor Mat Barzal pic.twitter.com/2A8z7g4EsV
— Isles Videos (@IslesVideos) June 2, 2026
Could a deal between the Blackhawks and Islanders happen for Matt Barzal?
Barzal is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. After an injury-plagued 2024-25 season, Barzal played 81 games, registering 19 goals and 53 assists for 72 points. It is the third most points he has recorded in a season and the most since the 2023-24 season. While his advanced metrics took a bit of a dip, it's not much to be concerned about. According to Natural Stat Trick, he had a 51.66 CF%, a 50.64 SCF%, and a 51.64 xG%.
This would be a huge addition for the Blackhawks. One of the biggest problems they had last season was putting the puck in the back of the net. They averaged 2.56 goals per game last season, which was tied with the Canucks for the second-lowest mark in the league. Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi were the only skaters to notch over 50 points last season. Barzal would come in and be put on their top line with Bedard and form one of the best one-two punches in hockey.
The Blackhawks also appear to be one of the best trading partners for the Islanders. All indications are that it will take a haul for the Isles to trade him. It would have to be an offer they can't refuse. The Hawks have the young players and draft capital to make this type of deal happen. They will also have a projected 40 million dollars in cap space this summer. They can easily take on the $9.15 million Barzal is due in each of the next four seasons.
At the very least, the Islanders are going to be asking for a first-round pick and a young NHL-ready player. This can be done by sending them the 4th pick in this year's draft, coupled with someone like Ryan Greene. Other guys that could be in the trade are Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel. Now this is just the framework of the deal. There would probably be some mid-round picks or AHL skaters that could go back to the Islanders in the deal.
Is this something that is likely to happen? No. It would be a big mistake for the Islanders to trade Barzal. However, if they were to trade him, the best destination would be the Blackhawks.
