The New York Islanders secured the services of St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn ahead of Friday’s NHL transaction deadline. This move sees them adding a tenacious, experienced offensive contributor to bolster their drive for the playoffs.
In exchange, the Islanders dispatched seasoned attacker Jonathan Drouin, a 2026 first-round selection, a third-round selection, and the 6-foot-7 Swedish goaltending prospect Marcus Gidlof to the Blues. This first-round pick had been obtained from the Colorado Avalanche during the previous season’s Brock Nelson deal.
Schenn, aged 34, has held the role of Blues captain over the past three campaigns. He has tallied 12 goals and 16 assists across 61 appearances for St. Louis. His mean time on ice, at 16:41, stands as his most minimal since the 2013-14 season, whereas his 1.7 points per 60 minutes average marks his lowest output since 2010-11.
Schenn remains under contract until the 2027-28 season, carrying a salary cap charge of $6.5 million. Drouin is committed through the upcoming season, with a $4 million cap impact.
He possessed a 15-team no-trade clause, and there were rumors that he desired a transfer to the Avalanche prior to the transaction cutoff. TSN indicated that Schenn relinquished his no-trade provision to authorize the Islanders’ agreement.
Durability stands as a crucial element of Schenn’s attributes. Spanning the 2022-23 season up to the previous year, Schenn participated in every one of the 82 regular-season games for the Blues. Furthermore, he was instrumental in the team’s sole Stanley Cup victory in 2019.
Schenn was exchanged between two franchises moving in contrasting trajectories. The Blues are acting as vendors embarking on a restructuring phase, having come close to transferring prominent blueliner Colton Parayko to the Buffalo Sabres before he exercised his trade safeguard to decline the transfer. The Islanders currently occupy the third position in the Metro Division with 75 points from 63 games, yet they are merely three points clear of the Columbus Blue Jackets (72 points in 61 games), who are hovering immediately outside the postseason contention zone.
Schenn is capable of playing either center or on the wing. The Islanders possess Bo Horvat, Calum Ritchie, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Casey Cizikas as their central forwards. Pageau penned a three-year contract extension with New York on Friday, carrying a cap impact of $4.85 million. He was slated to become an unrestricted free agent during the current offseason period.