The New York Islanders acquired New Jersey Devils captain Andy Greene on Sunday in exchange for David Quenneville and a 2021 second-round draft pick.
The 37-year-old Greene, a defenseman, has spent all of his 14-year NHL career with the Devils and has been the team's captain the past five seasons. He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Islanders get: D Andy Greene
Devils get: D David Quenneville, 2021 second-round pick
New York Islanders: B-
The Islanders are confident in their defensive group but have needed insurance ever since early January, when they found out Adam Pelech was going to be out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon. Pelech was on the verge of a breakout season, and it's clear New York doesn't feel totally comfortable turning to Noah Dobson for big minutes yet. Andy Greene (on an expiring contract) is perfect for what the Isles are looking for in the short term. Plus, he has familiarity with the Islanders' style of doing things after having played on many Lou Lamoriello-managed teams in his New Jersey tenure. This is clearly about Lamoriello getting a guy with whom he felt comfortable. The general manager knew what he was going to get.
Greene is tough, having led the Devils in blocked shots multiple times during his tenure. He has missed only 47 games over the past 11 seasons, which is insane when you think of how he plays. Greene, who was initially undrafted, is a low-key personality who should have no problem meshing in the room, but he can add some leadership, too. He was the Devils' captain after all.
The only thing I don't love about this deal is the price: It feels steep. It's probably inflated since there aren't a ton of great rental defensemen available. Still, second-round picks are high-value commodities these days; they're not just something you exchange lightly. That means Lamoriello truly believes Greene is going to add value to his team and potentially make a difference in how far the Islanders make it through the playoffs. That's asking a lot of a 37-year-old in the twilight of his career.
Greene has just 11 points this season. He likely will be asked to be the stay-at-home defenseman he was in New Jersey. That fits in perfectly with the Isles' identity. However, New York is a team that should be looking to add more offensive juice. It's a good stylistic fit, but is it the right aspirational fit?
New Jersey Devils: A
Tom Fitzgerald has an interim GM tag, but it's clear he has full power from ownership to make trades and salvage something out of this lost season. Trading away a captain is never easy, especially because Greene has meant a lot to the Devils franchise, having spent his entire 14-year career with the Devils. His 923 games with the club rank seventh in franchise history. Greene controlled his own destiny. He had a full no-trade clause; he didn't have to waive it and disrupt his life for a few months if he didn't want to. Travis Zajac has said he doesn't want to be traded, and while Greene previously said he wanted to stick around, he kept an open mind about a trade.
That New Jersey found a fit for Greene that made him happy is awesome. He gets a good chance at chasing the Stanley Cup this spring and doesn't have to uproot his life; his family doesn't have to move. Given that Fitzgerald didn't have much leverage on this Greene deal, he needs to be applauded for the return. As noted above, second-round picks are valuable pieces in the current NHL. The Devils already traded their own 2021 second-round pick away in the Nikita Gusev deal, so they get one back here. Quenneville is a 21-year-old AHL defenseman. The 2016 seventh-round pick, he wasn't seen as a very important piece to the Islanders' future plans, but he'll get good looks in New Jersey's system.
As long as this team doesn't totally implode without Greene's leadership in the room, Fitzgerald's first official trade as the Devils interim GM should be considered a win.