The 2023-24 seasons for the Los Angeles Kings and New York Islanders are somehow eerily similar and different. For starters, both teams sit in a tight wild card race in their respective conferences, both have made major moves for a top center in the trade market in recent seasons, and both fired their head coaches mid-season. Yet how the two teams got to where they are today could not be further from the same. With trade rumors ramping up between teams, an Islanders-Kings trade should be in the works.
Both Teams Facing Adversity
The Kings were expected to sit at the top of the league this season. With 35 points in the team’s first 23 games, which left them fourth in the entire league back in December, they were expected to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Now sitting 15th, they are no longer the unbreakable force they were just two months ago. With the trade deadline looming, more changes could be on the horizon.
For the Islanders, this season has been a never-ending roller coaster. Back in December, they snapped a seven-game losing streak thanks to youngster Oliver Wahlstrom’s shootout goal over the Calgary Flames. Then in December, they lost four straight games in their January road trip, ending it with an embarrassing loss to the league-worst Chicago Blackhawks. This trip led to the firing of head coach Lane Lambert. Now with Patrick Roy at the helm and a near-full health roster, the team is poised to push for a wild card spot. Since Roy joined the team, there has been one player under the spotlight more than anyone else.
Related: Is Oliver Wahlstrom’s Islanders Tenure Coming to an End?
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Under Lane Lambert, Wahlstrom was constantly scrutinized, benched, and scratched, losing his lineup spot many times to Julien Gauthier. This was a tough look for the former top prospect, who could barely find his footing in the season and a half under his former coach. Now under Roy, Wahlstrom has taken strides in his development, but could it be too little, too late?
Changes in Scenery Will Help
If a trade between the Islanders and Kings seems strange to you, there is a clear reason why. Since 2007, the two sides have engaged in a trade just one time; the 2017 Draft when the teams swapped sixth-round picks. This was one of Kings general manager (GM) Rob Blake’s first moves in the position. Additionally, Lou Lamoriello has traded with the Kings just two times in his career, both in 2013 as GM of the New Jersey Devils. His first trade was sending a fifth-round pick for Andrei Loktionov before months later swapping seventh-round picks.
Now, it is time for the two sides to engage in trade talks again. Both teams have a young, struggling winger who was a former top prospect. For the Kings, they have a surplus of left-handed forwards, and the Islanders need left-handed wingers. Wahlstrom, who is known for his elite right-handed wrist shot, is the perfect candidate to slide into the Kings’ bottom-six, allowing him to develop on the wing of Pierre-Luc Dubois. His big body and physical play will pair well with Dubois’ 6-foot-4 frame, making the two a strong duo for a third line. As well, he has three goals and an assist in his last two games against California teams, an important characteristic as he would join the Kings in their rivalry against the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks.
For the Islanders, moving on from Wahlstrom seems inevitable. As much as fans want him to work out, he has not performed well in his limited opportunities. While he has never truly been given an extended period to learn while on the line of a skilled winger, he has not taken advantage of the opportunities provided. Acquiring a winger like Arthur Kaliyev makes perfect sense. He is slightly younger than Wahlstrom, is a left-handed shot, and possesses a sneaky wrister. With captain Anders Lee getting up there in age, and having just 13 goals in 51 games so far this season, it may be time to find a new winger for Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal to play with. Kaliyev would fit the timeline well, being just 22 years old, and has a higher upside than any prospect in the Islanders’ system.
The logistics of how the trade would work out will depend on who you ask. The Islanders may need to add a little bit, being either a depth piece or a late draft pick, but the framework of the swap makes sense for both sides. Both players are in the final year of contracts under $1 million, leaving both teams will financial flexibility this season and in the offseason. Wahlstrom, playing around 11 minutes a night this season, has just two goals and six points in 24 games. Kaliyev has six goals and 14 points in 38 games while playing over 13 minutes a night. The efficiency is similar, and a change of scenery could be what it takes to get both of these wingers going. As well, if these former top prospects were to find success elsewhere, their respective GMs would want to make sure they were in the other conference.
As the league approaches the March 8 trade deadline, both fanbases will be expecting their front offices to make a move, and this unfamiliar connection between these two parties could be ending soon. While it may be frustrating for fans to move on from former top prospects, getting one in return would be a way to heal the wound fast.