All the talk around town is that the New York Islanders need a left-handed defenseman. That is a true statement, given the fact that Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Noah Dobson & Scott Mayfield are all right-handed. Defensive prospect Robin Salo, who played 21 games with the Islanders this past season, is a lefty, but one is not enough.

The Islanders are likely to lose a pair of left-handed defensemen as 44-year-old Zdeno Chara is likely calling it a career and 39-year-old Andy Greene told us that he will either be back with the Islanders or hang the skates up.

There are a handful of trade options so let’s dive in:

Jakob Chychrun, Arizona Coyotes

Age: 24

Team: Arizona Coyotes

2021-22 season: 7 Goals, 14 Assists, 21 Points, -20 Plus/-, 47 PIM

Salary Situation: 3 Years, $4.75 M AAV

The top option for New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello to acquire is Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jacob Chychrun. The 24-year-old left-handed d-man is at the top of many teams lists, with the asking price at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline being a young player, a high-end prospect plus a first-round pick per Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek.

Chychrun is under team control until 2024-25, with an annual cap hit of $4.75 million.

The Boca Raton native was drafted 16th overall at the 2016 NHL Draft and in his rookie year scored seven goals with 13 assists in 16:40 ATOI. But from his sophomore season to his sixth year in the NHL, he has consistently averaged over 20 minutes a night. His breakout season came during the shortened 2021-22 season, where he scored 18 goals with 23 assists for 41 points in 56 games.

Then this past season happened, where he took a few steps back, with just seven goals and 14 assists in just 47 games played. He missed time with an ankle injury but even with the drop-off in statistics was still the prime target for many teams come the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline. But the asking price was rather high

The Islanders would likely need to part ways with forward Oliver Wahlstrom, the 13th overall pick in this upcoming draft, along with another piece to get this deal done. Is it worth the price?

Carson Soucy

Age: 27

Team: Seattle Kraken

2021-22 season: 10 Goals, 11 Assists, 21 Points

Salary Cap Hit: $2.75 Million

The 27-year-old Carson Soucy has played four years in the NHL. Drafted in the fifth round (13th overall) by the Minnesota Wild, the Alberta native has produced more in each passing year, with the 2021-22 season being his best season so far.

His 10 goals led all Seattle Kraken defensemen and what’s more impressive is that his 17:40 ATOI ranked seventh amongst the defensive group. He increased his shot output from 85 in the shortened 2020-21 season to 169 this past season (career-high). He set a new career-high in blocks (73) and hits (118), as he used his 6’5, 211 lb frame to his advantage.

Soucy started the season as the sixth or seventh defenseman on the newest NHL club but outperformed expectations, as he finished the season on the second defensive pairing and the top power-play unit and penalty-kill unit.

While Soucy was on the ice at five-on-five, the Seattle Kraken outshot their opponents 468-430 but were outscored 40-39. Do not take the goals against into consideration, as netminder Philipp Grubauer owned a league-worst -25.51 GSAA.

Soucy’s vision, mixed with his shot and reliability on defense would be a perfect match alongside Noah Dobson.

Having Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Carson Soucy, and Noah Dobson while also having Scott Mayfield makes the Islanders defense a force with just one more defenseman needed if youngster Robin Salo is not believed to be ready for full NHL duty.

To acquire Soucy, the New York Islanders would likely need to part ways with a mid-round pick, let’s say a third-rounder. The Seattle Kraken botched their expansion draft and will likely not be competitive in 2022-23, so moving pieces to cooperate draft capital is a smart decision.

Marcus Pettersson, Pittsburgh Penguins

Age: 26

Team: Pittsburgh Penguins

2021-22 season: 2 Goals, 17 Assists, 19 Points, – Plus/-, 47 PIM

Salary Situation: 3 Years, $4.025 M AAV

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a hockey team that has major decisions to make this offseason regarding Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, with $23 million or so in space. That means general manager Ron Hextall may need to shed cap and defenseman Marcus Pettersson could be the guy that goes.

The 26-year-old defenseman had a major bounce-back season in 2021-22 after a lackluster 2020-21 campaign. Pettersson is not much of a scorer, as he has scored two goals in each of the last four seasons. But this season, he saw an uptick in his assist numbers, as he posted 17, compared to his seven a year ago.

After just 39 shots blocked in 2021-22, Pettersson got in front of 74 shots this past season, while also posting a career-high in the hits department with 122.

Taking a look at advanced statistics, courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, Pettersson was second on the Penguins in assists per 60 minutes, at 0.90. Pettersson’s primary assists per 60 minutes finished second on the tam as well, at 0.68.

In the 2021 playoffs, in which the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated by the New York Rangers in the first round after seven games, Peterson averaged 21:16 minutes per game and led the Penguins defense with a plus/- of +3.

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