With the NHL's rosters currently frozen due to the ongoing Olympic Games in Sochi, no roster moves can be made until this Monday. Upon resuming NHL activity, the Islanders may now become more aggressive trading Thomas Vanek following the loss of John Tavares for the season due to a torn meniscus and MCL in Canada's 2-1 win over Latvia Wednesday.
As Canada braces itself for a semifinal matchup with the United States with the chance to defend its 2010 gold medal from the Vancouver Games on the line, the Islanders begin to mull their options as the NHL readies for its rosters to unfreeze and pushes towards the March 5 NHL trade deadline.
According to a report by Newsday this morning, Tavares, 23, will be sidelined for the remainder of the season following a collision with Latvian defenseman Arturs Kulda in the second period. Tavares left the game and didn't return for the third.
It was announced shortly after that Tavares was out of the tournament for good, and after an MRI revealed meniscus and MCL tears, it was announced that Tavares will miss the remainder of the NHL season and be back for training camp in September.
Tavares who leads the Islanders and is with 66 points (3rd in NHL) off of 24 goals and 42 points.
With their best player and captain gone, and the team sitting in last place in the Metropolitan Division and 14th in the 16-team Eastern Conference with a record of 22-30-8 (52 points), the team could be looking to deal Vanek.
Vanek was acquired on Oct. 27 by the Islanders from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Matt Moulson, a 2014 first-round pick and a 2015 second-round pick, and he is a free agent-to-be.
It was reported that the Islanders were shopping Vanek around, and now that Tavares is gone and their chances for a second consecutive playoff run are all but dashed, the team will likely look for a trade partner to send Vanek to.
Newsday reported earlier this month that Vanek had turned down a long-term contract extension with the Islanders, that was a seven-year $50 million deal.
Vanek, 30, has 40 points in 44 games for the Islanders off of 15 goals and 25 assists and was 4-5-9 for the Sabres through 15 games prior to the trade, making him an attractive trade chip for teams that are looking to make a playoff push and need some scoring depth. Vanek explained why he turned down the contract from the Islanders to Newsday earlier this month.
"I'm sure people will look at it and say, 'Wow, that's crazy by him,' or whatever," Vanek told the paper. "As I've told Garth [Snow, general manager] before ... it's like a breakup: It's not you, it's me. And it really is me wanting to explore this."
With Tavares gone and the Islanders hopes of contending dwindling, Vanek could be traded for the second time this season before the March 5 NHL trade deadline.
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