Takeaways: Darche on Trade Deadline

New York Islanders General Manager Mathieu Darche spoke with the media on Friday after the NHL’s Trade Deadline.

Darche was active in his first deadline as the final decision maker, swinging a deal for St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn and inking JG Pageau to a three-year contract extension.

With the Islanders in the middle of a playoff push, Darche wanted to bolster his group with reinforcements, as he did with the Ondrej Palat and Carson Soucy additions six weeks earlier.

“The players have done a great job putting us in a position to be in the playoffs,” Darche said. “We wanted to help them with the final push.”

Darche said he doesn’t want to take a step backwards, and shared his thoughts on a variety of topics including Schenn, Pageau, injury updates and more.

Schenn To Play Center, Bolsters Depth

Brayden Schenn is expected to play center when he suits up for the Islanders. That bolsters an already-deep center group for the Islanders, but means someone – likely Calum Ritchie – will move to the wing to accommodate Schenn’s arrival. Darche theorizes that it’s easier for a center to transition to wing than the other way around. The same goes for Schenn, who has shown an ability to play the wing when needed.

“You can never have too many centers,” Darche said. “It just gives us a lot more options.”

Schenn boasts 54.2% faceoff win percentage this season, which puts him in the top-25 among players with 500 faceoffs taken this season.

He’s not alone either. Pageau (60.1%) is fourth, Bo Horvat (56.5%) is 13^th and Casey Cizikas (53.5%) is 29^th, meaning the Isles have four of the league’s top-30 faceoff takers.

Schenn Adds Snarl

Darche said Schenn adds some “snarl” to the Islanders lineup – alluding to his 138 hits this season and willingness to defend his teammates. The Isles GM – who knows Schenn’s brother, Luke, well from their time in Tampa together – said he received texts from players around the league about Schenn’s hard-to-play-against style.

“When you play hockey after the deadline and in the playoffs, it's fighting for every inch on the ice, being able to take a hit and dish out hits,” Darche said. “We want to be physical, and Brayden does that, so I think he fits exactly what we need right now.”

Darche said he felt the Islanders were a little “passive” in their last two losses, but that Schenn, who has been through playoff battles, can help bring the team into the fight. It should be noted that Schenn was a key piece in the Blues run to the 2019 Stanley Cup.

“We always said we want to be hard to play against. We added some snarl and Brayden fits that,” Darche said. “He’s a playoff guy. He plays hard. He if something happens, he's not afraid to defend a teammate.”

Preserving Prospects and Picks

The Islanders parted with the Colorado Avalanche’s first-round pick on Friday, which the team acquired in the Brock Nelson trade a year prior, but kept their own selection in 2026. Keeping a first-round pick, as well as top prospects like Kashawn Aitcheson and Victor Eklund, was important for Darche, as he doesn’t want to mortgage the future for this season.

“We didn't touch any of our top prospects that will turn pro next year,” Darche said. “We had two first round picks, so I was okay to move one, because I'm still drafting in the first round this year. I still have my first-round picks going forward.”

Pageau Extension

Darche gave his perspective on Pageau’s three-year contract extension. The GM said he didn’t want to risk losing Pageau for nothing if he departed in free agency and praised Pageau’s game this season.

A quick refresher, Pageau has 29 points (14G, 15A) in 55 games and leads the team with six shorthanded points and three shorthanded goals. He’s fourth in the NHL with a 60.1% FOW%.

“I think it's a deal that fits for us going forward,” Darche said. “And you saw Pageau the last few weeks, how well he's played… He still has years left in his career, so I don't want to take a step back.”

Updates on Romanov and Varlamov

Darche said that injured defenseman Alexander Romanov is rehabbing well and that there’s a “chance he could be ready for the playoffs.” Romanov suffered a shoulder injury against Dallas on Nov. 18 and underwent shoulder surgery on Nov. 23. The defenseman has been skating at Northwell Health Ice Center independently of the team.

“He's rehabbing really well,” Darche said. “It's borderline for playoff, but there is a chance for playoffs.”

Darche did not have an update on goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who continues to skate on his own daily on Long Island. Varlamov last played on Nov. 29, 2024 and is not expected to return this season.

“It's one thing to take shots and move on the ice and it's another thing to play games,” Darche said. “He's not at the point yet of taking practice, so we don't expect him this season.”