The Islanders didn’t end up losing much in Wednesday night’s expansion draft beyond the 15th overall pick they’d promised to Vegas to keep the newest NHL club from selecting any of the Isles’ coveted players that were left unprotected.
There were some other elements in the deal, most notably Mikhail Grabovski, the injured center whose $5 million salary-cap hit for next season will now help Vegas reach the cap floor and help the Islanders by coming off their books. The Islanders also sent a 2019 second–round pick and defense prospect Jake Bischoff to the Golden Knights as the means of losing a player of little consequence to next season’s roster.