Islanders and Canadiens Complete Trade That Could Impact Maple Leafs' Center Plans

We saw the Noah Dobson trade shake things up in the Eastern Conference, as the Montreal Canadiens added some serious firepower to their back end, meanwhile the Islanders gather as many assets as possible to either make a splash at the draft, or trade them for an NHL-ready player.

But it seems that the Islanders are waving the white flag a bit as new GM Mathieu Darche is seemingly trying to get a rebuild going on Long Island. If they do so, then there are several faces that could be gone.

Anders Lee, Pierre Engvall, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau are all potential candidates to be sent out of town, but if they wanted to shake things up even more; they should trade their star forward.

Much like Toronto is doing by losing Mitch Marner and heading in a new direction, so too should the Islanders, and part ways with Mathew Barzal; and the Maple Leafs are a great destination.

It won't necessarily be easy, but there are certainly ways that the team can go about helping the Islanders and themselves.

Well if the Islanders are going to see a few faces out of town, they can do well to replenish them through Toronto.

Giving the Islanders a player like McMann; who can slide into their Top-9 and provide a lot of speed, scoring and physicality, on an absurdly cheap deal is a great add.

McMann, 29, is coming off a breakout 20-goal season (34 points in 74 games) was a plus-12, added 136 hits and was clutch for the team, with five of his goals being game-winners.

Robertson needs a fresh start and New York gets to benefit from a 23-year old burgeoning star who is a bit polarizing but has a ton of talent. Mentioned previously in trade rumors, and clearly wanting an out before; it makes sense to move on.

It gives them a dynamic forward who can grow into a potential Top-6 player for the Islanders. Robertson, 23, had 22 points in 69 games but found himself scratched for the majority of the playoffs.

Carlo, 28, would help replenish the loss on defense that Dobson's departure left, and he's on a very reasonable deal for the next two seasons ($3.845-million per season); he had 12 points (1G, 11A) split between Boston and Toronto.

Acquired at the deadline for Fraser Minten and a first-round pick, the Leafs would definitely prefer to keep him but if it helps bring someone like Barzal aboard; they need to strike.

Barzal, 28, would give Toronto the 2C they need and help John Tavares move down the lineup a bit. Plus, it helps that he's a very good playmaker who can gel with William Nylander and create a solid one-two punch.

In 530 games, Barzal has 462 points (134G, 328A) and while he isn't the greatest defender, he's certainly serviceable and the added pressure might be a very good motivator.

The one issue is that Toronto is going to take on $9.15-million per season for the next five seasons. If they want to make a splash this season, they need to either choose whether to trade for Barzal, or add some other pieces on the cheap in free agency or through smaller trades.

It's not a trade that will make things necessarily better for the Maple Leafs, but is does make them a whole heck of a lot different which seems to be the main goal this offseason.