Islanders still exploring trades
Charlottetown could make another move on final day of QMJHL trade period
The Charlottetown Islanders have checked off the items on their to-do list but aren’t opposed to make another move.
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) trade window closes today at 1 p.m. Atlantic.
“You’re always looking to improve your club until the final minute,” Charlottetown head coach and general manager Jim Hulton said. “I think the odds are low that we’ll do anything … but we've also seen in the past that can change in a hurry.”
Charlottetown has already done a lot of heavy lifting in landing two top-six forwards in Bailey Peach and Patrick Guay, plus a pair of veteran defencemen in Sean Stewart and Braeden Virtue in four separate moves.
“If we don't add anything else, we’ve kind of achieved our goal,” Hulton said. “We wanted to add at least two pieces upfront and we wanted some insurance on the back end, we’ve done that.
“Now is kind of that time where, do we get greedy (or) does the price drop at the last minute?”
While some big names remained available as of Sunday afternoon, the Isles got their shopping done early.
The team has had four practices with most of its players available while Guay and Virtue continue to selfisolate due to COVID-19 protocols.
Hulton likes what he has seen on the ice in the past few days from Peach and Stewart.
“It’s an obvious veteran presence,” he said. “They have a calm demeanour about them. You can tell this isn’t their first rodeo.”
The moves have had an impact throughout the squad, creating a buzz for the second half.
“Whenever you’re in buy mode, you’re infusing energy into your room,” Hulton said. “You could feel it right away when we announced Bailey’s acquisition at the start and then it just continued to climb with Stewart, with Guay and with Virtue.”
While some teams can get caught in an arm’s race after seeing what deals their counterparts across the league complete, don’t expect the Isles to be one of them.
“We’ve learned from the mistakes that we’ve made in the past,” Hulton acknowledged.
“You realize that you have to have your own plan and you don't deviate from that plan.”
The Islanders are awaiting word on when they will be allowed to play against their Maritime counterparts again and what restrictions might be put in place due to COVID-19. The QMJHL held 12 games for its Quebec-based teams during the weekend in a bubble in Drummondville, Que.