Interesting trade. I'll put this one on watch and see how this plays out. The Varlamov trade seems like a stretch but if Islanders are looking to clear cap, then maybe.

Isles have no reason to do that. I'm sure they can get a 1st or a pair of 2nds from a more desperate team. Simek $2.25M won't work on their cap.

Burns is 36 and plays a position that NSH doesn’t need.

Johansen Is 28 and plays a position of need for NSH.

Sure, he’s been disappointing for the past two seasons, but I’ll take Johansen over Burns. Don’t see why NSH would consider this deal unless they think they can flip Burns easier than Johansen.

Not sure if the Varlamov trade is a joke. Simek is noone and expensive. Varlamov could've been a Vezina nominee and has been strong in the playoffs and regular season, leading them to 2 straight ECFs. Islanders have guys with contracts which are larger who they'd much sooner trade than Varlamov, like Eberle or Leddy.

I think NYI do that if it's Mario Ferraro in return

Or maybe potentially if Simek was Justin Holl level

But Simek getting ~14 a game for a team with bad D depth... I mean gosh... he's basically an AHLer in the eyes of NHL mgmt at that point Varl*amov still elite

Fair points though I feel Donato >> Benning (in large part because of the UFA to RFA disparity) helps offset that and make it compelling at the end of the day

An Isles fan is the one who proposed this deal today -- sure disagree if you want, but value-wise it's definitely pretty close. Look at it from the perspective of what they want to do with Sorokin and the expansion draft too and what the Isles decide to do there. SJ has to add likely, agreed, but maybe adding a 3rd gets it done.

I don't think we'll get that much for Varlamov. We're in a cap crunch, Expansion is coming up, goalie jobs are fairly set. If we get a 1st I'd be shocked. Getting a young-ish defenseman and saving some cap could be very good for NYI.



Losing Eberle and Leddy still may not be enough. In every AGM I've done, I see no way we can keep both Leddy and Varlamov. If we want an impact player, I see no way of us keeping Eberle either. Ladd would have to be sent to Robidas Island to keep just one of those guys, but I'm not banking on that happening.

I'm not saying the Islanders are in trouble, because they can get out of some of these deals, but they're going to have to make a decent amount of moves.



It was me, but it definitely wasn't straight up Varlamov for Simek. I thought Varlamov for Simek and Donato was fair, but I didn't see the negative feedback on Simek. Would the Sharks do something around Mario Ferraro?

NSH doesn't really have room for Donato though -- they have a lot of NHL wingers (or NHL-ready):
Forsberg
Arvidsson
Duchene (wing or center)
Kunin
Tolvanen
Jarnkrok
Cousins
Grimaldi
Trenin
Jeannot
Olivier
----
Tomasino
Pitlick

I don't see a place for Donato on this roster either. He wouldn't be given the opportunity to succeed playing 4th line, at best, in NSH.

This slap shot guy is an idiot. Varlamov has NMC and Sorokin is exempt from the expansion draft. There is absolutely no way Varlamov is leaving after the year he just had. Islanders will do anything to keep him.

Ohh Sorokin's exempt. I didn't know that, thanks for letting me know. That actually changes a lot as far as this proposed deal goes. I think if SJ offers up a 2nd + Simek/Donato, Isles may accept just bc they may want to go with the younger guy (who's also very good) and utilize Varly's 5mil for a scoring forward.

Islanders and Sorokin are not ready for him to be our #1.