The Overhaul is Complete

The QMJHL trading period has come and gone. Teams like Victoriaville, Acadie-Bathurst, and Rimouski made strides to build themselves up for a deep playoff run. Others, such as Val d’Or and Saint John, began the process of tearing down and stocking up on prospects and draft picks.

The Charlottetown Islanders, in my opinion, had an outstanding trading period. I was very fond of the moves for Derek Gentile and Cameron Askew, as I outlined in my previous article. Then Jim Hulton went and made another series of moves that I like even more.

First, the Islanders traded right winger Sam Meisenheimer and a 2018 seventh-round pick to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens for a 2018 fourth-round pick. They subsequently flipped that pick, along with a 2018 fifth-round pick, to the Saint John Sea Dogs for left winger Daniel Hardie.

Before I begin talking about these series of trades, I’d like to point out how valuable Sam Meisenheimer had been to the Islanders this season. He nearly tripled his output from last season in twelve less games. He displayed some serious skill throughout the season and at times was the best player on the ice. He’ll be missed, however should get a great opportunity in Chicoutimi.

In Hardie, the Islanders get a 19 year-old winger with a scoring pedigree; he has 30 goals in 82 career games split between Saint John and Rimouski. He provides the Islanders with yet another weapon in the top-nine.

I can’t applaud head coach and GM Jim Hulton enough for this sequence of moves. As good as Meisenheimer, Matthew Grouchy, and Gregor MacLeod were, replacing their 27 combined goals with 39 combined goals from Hardie, Askew, and Gentile is a definite upgrade. In the process, the team didn’t sacrifice any future assets; the trades for Hardie and Askew involved assets that came from the Gentile and Meisenheimer trades.

By Hulton pulling off these trades, he’s proving that the days of the “junior hockey cycle” are going by the wayside. GM’s no longer have to load up for 1-2 deep playoff runs at the expense of two very poor seasons; they can attain prolonged success through savvy trading and great scouting at a grassroots level.

With Hardie coming to town, Gentile due back soon from an eye injury, and Hunter Drew back from a one-game suspension, the lines that Hulton ran on Thursday against Rimouski have quickly become obsolete. Here’s what they looked like:

Aquin – Getson – Askew
Budgell – Alexandrov – Meisenheimer
Casey – Sparkes – King
Berube – Ton – Peyton

Joseph – Vesterinen
Desjardins – Clavelle
Arsenault – Massie

Welsh
Lund-Cornish

In a conversation after the game, Hulton expressed that he’d like to put Derek Gentile on a line with Budgell and Alexandrov upon his return. This move surprised me; while I love the idea, I initially thought he’d Gentile alongside Alexandrov and Meisenheimer, while easing Budgell into the Q alongside King and Sparkes.

“That’s a line that we think we can grow with, since we’ll return everybody next year.” said Hulton. I couldn’t agree more. There’s a good chance that you see that combination last for two seasons after this one.

Hulton continued. “It also gives us some freedom to move Meisenheimer, who’s been a really effective player for us. He’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades player, similar to a Sam King, so we could probably build a really good third line of Sparkes, King, and Meisenheimer.”

Prior to today’s trade I loved that third line. All three players had the ability to score goals and shut down top lines. In all likelihood, I assume the plan stays the same and that Hardie ends up being on the third line.

Assuming that’s correct, and adding Gentile and Drew back into the lineup, here’s what the team looks like for the rest of the season:

Aquin – Getson – Askew
Budgell – Alexandrov – Gentile
Hardie – Sparkes – King
Casey – Ton – Peyton
Berube/Doyon*

Joseph – Vesterinen
Drew – Clavelle
Desjardins – Massie
Egan**

Welsh
Lund-Cornish

* denotes scratches
** defenceman Taylor Egan is still injured and there’s yet to be any indication on his timeline for return

By adding Hardie to the third line and Gentile to the second line, you’ve created a true top-nine that the Islanders have yet to see this year. Charlottetown will be a team that can score goals, yet still be defensively responsible.

If you look around the league at teams that were buyers this trading period, most of them made bold moves that sacrificed the future for big-name assets. Acadie-Bathurst, for example, traded ten draft picks in the first five rounds of the next three drafts. Charlottetown was able to upgrade and prepare for the playoffs without sacrificing any future draft picks higher than a fifth-round pick.

If Charlottetown’s newest acquisitions can adopt the Hulton’s Hustler mentality, look out. This team will be scary to watch as we enter the thick of the second-half of the season.