The New York Islanders acquired center Jean-Gabriel Pageau in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Monday for three draft picks, then signed him to a six-year, $30 million contract (average annual value $5 million). Pageau is the prototypical Islanders forward who can play a two-way game and lock down his defensive responsibilities when needed. He also brings a scoring threat to New York, 23rd in the NHL in goals scored (176). Pageau scored his NHL career-high 25th goal of the season, fought New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba, and skated 12:07 in his debut with the Islanders, a 4-3 overtime loss Tuesday. Pageau skated mostly on the third line with Josh Bailey and Michael Dal Colle, a spot he will likely keep down the stretch behind centers Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson.
What makes Pageau such a good fit? Because he ranks fourth in the NHL in defensive zone face-off wins (249), coach Barry Trotz can deploy Pageau and the third line in critical defensive-zone situations late in games. One area of concern for the Islanders is puck possession, where they rank 30th in the NHL with a minus-409 shot attempts differential, ahead of only the Detroit Red Wings (minus-440). Nine of the top 10 teams in SAT last season qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and with 20 games remaining, the Islanders are unlikely to drastically improve this statistic. The good news is Pageau, who is tied for 24th among forwards with 48 blocks, fits their system well and can increase their League-leading blocked shot total (1,068) to help offset the lopsided shot attempts differential.