The New York Rangers are collecting talent for their rebuild while their cross-town archrivals are making the playoffs. In their hunt for the postseason, the Islanders have neglected one of their top young talents, who has struggled. The Rangers should make a move for this skilled young player.
The New York Rangers are still working on their rebuild. Meanwhile, the New York Islanders are in second place in the Metropolitan Division, fighting for first place with three games to go. In their push towards the post season, the Islanders have neglected one of their top young talents who has been struggling to produce at the NHL level so far.
Joshua Ho-Sang, an Islanders’ first round pick in 2014 (#28 overall), is playing in the final year of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent at season’s end. He has spent the majority of his career thus far playing in the AHL for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. At this point in time, I would be somewhat surprised if he would be happy to re-sign with the Islanders after this season for one main reason.
Lack of Usage
Joshua Ho-Sang is a great young player, but for some reason, the Islanders can’t seem to find a spot for him in the lineup. Over his three season entry-level contract, he has only played in 53 NHL games. Worse than that, only TEN of them have been this season, his contract year.
In contrast, he has played in 150 AHL games in those same three seasons. In the lower league, he has produced 104 points. If that level of production doesn’t warrant an extended look at the top league, I’m not really sure what does. While he hasn’t been able to produce at that same clip in the NHL, I believe that also comes down to his usage.
When he’s been with the Islanders, Ho-Sang has gotten ice time. This season, he’s averaged 14:31 minutes per game and while that number is skewed based on the small sample size, that is about average for a middle-six forward. However, he received a minuscule amount of time on the power play, where he can really show what he can do. All that said, the Rangers would be smart to try to acquire this special young player.
Ho-Sang’s Ability
Even though I don’t have a look into the locker room, the fact that Ho-Sang has gotten such a small chance to prove himself is mind-boggling. On the ice, Ho-Sang is a special player. He has a great mix of skating ability, stickhandling, vision, and passing skill.
He is quick and agile on his skates, able to breeze past defenders and get in on goal. His smooth stickhandling, good hockey IQ, and passing ability make him a great playmaker, evidenced by his 30 assists this season for Bridgeport. But he isn’t a one trick pony; his shot is accurate and deceptively strong.
This video helps show off some of his skills. The shot he buries in itself is impressive, especially from that angle. The rest of the play, though shows a glimmer of the rest of his skill set. Ho-Sang starts the play by getting a tough shot on goal from close in that was saved by Darcy Kuemper. Ho-Sang then smartly disengages from his defender, and instead of trying to immediately go towards the puck, he drifts behind the net. He then gets himself into a position to take a one-timer. The bounce of the puck towards him is lucky, but he makes no mistake in potting a goal.
How Could the Rangers Acquire Him?
This is the tough part. The Rangers have a ton of draft picks this summer, and the Islanders are missing two of theirs, third and fourth rounders. If Ho-Sang doesn’t figure into the Islanders long-term plans, it would be in their best interest to move him for something, rather than eventually lose him for nothing.
The Rangers will have five draft picks in the first two rounds of the draft. Depending on where things fall, they could have four first round picks (very unlikely) or two firsts and three second round selections (much more likely). If the Islanders make Ho-Sang available, the Rangers should move one of their later seconds for him. He could immediately slide into the Rangers’ middle six and add another talented young player to this burgeoning rebuild.
Trades between the Rangers and the Islanders are rare, in fact they have only made two in 46 years and the last was in 2010 and that was a minor deal. The Devils were willing to deal with the Blueshirts last season when they acquired Michael Grabner so that reluctance to trade may be lessening. A Ho-Sang trade could be a win-win for both teams, the question is whether the Islanders would have the stomach to do it.