EXCLUSIVE: Islanders’ Pageau Producing, Ignoring Trade Deadline Noise
The Islanders' shutdown center is focused solely on winning with the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline around the corner.
On Thursday, New York Islanders pending unrestricted free agent center Jean-Gabriel Pageau played hero, scoring the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory over Noah Dobson and the Montreal Canadiens.
And that’s fitting because, on this Elmonters Free Friday, I wanted to share my conversation with No. 44 about the upcoming 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
But first, let’s talk about the situation.
Season after season, regardless of Pageau’s contract status, his name kept appearing on trade boards because of his skill set. He’s consistently among the NHL leaders in face-off win percentage. He can shut down top competition at five-on-five. He’s a staple on the top penalty-kill unit.
Islanders captain Anders Lee summed it up best.
“He’s a utility knife,” Lee told The Elmonters. “He is so strong in so many facets of this game that many of those facets are imperative in playoff hockey. There are players that are built for the playoffs, and he’s one of them.”
But the rumor mill surrounding Pageau this season feels different.
After general manager Mathieu Darche made it clear around the 2025 NHL Draft that he would not be moving Pageau, there has been radio silence. Plenty of teams could use a shutdown center. I checked in with several. None had heard his name come up.
That tells you what you need to know: Pageau isn’t going anywhere.
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Of course, things can change. Maybe Darche is operating with Lou Lamoriello’s cone of silence — letting teams know that if a Pageau conversation leaks, the deal is off. But that seems unlikely.
The Islanders are in a playoff spot. Yes, Pageau could fetch valuable draft capital — maybe even a first-round pick. But Darche wants to make the playoffs. And if that’s the goal — which it is — Pageau is central to achieving it.
And once you’re in? He’s exactly the type of player who drives postseason success. I truly believe the Islanders don’t reach back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals without him.
Now, Pageau doesn’t have a contract extension in place, at least not publicly, but Darche made it clear that he would feel comfortable going past the deadline without one. And I do think, at the end of the day, there will be an extension, similar to the two-year deal worth $4.75 million that Kyle Palmieri signed this summer.
I did ask Pageau about his willingness to extend on Long Island.
“I know the deadline is coming up. I know the questions are becoming more frequent, and I’ve gotten used to it,” Pageau told The Elmonters. “It’s the same thing for the past four years. I would say it’s been the same, and my name is always out there. You can take that as a compliment, as you are valued and the team wants you. But my main focus right now is trying to control what I can, and that’s how I stay focused mentally, trying to be there for my teammates, my friends, and be there for my family as much as I can, and just try to focus on that.”
But for now, the focus from Pageau is helping his team win, like he did on Thursday.
“That’s what made me successful over the years and made me consistent, and being able to go through the trade deadline with a good mindset, and that’s the same thing this year. I’m just trying to focus on winning games and having fun with my teammates. We put ourselves in a good position, and obviously, I want to keep pushing with this group. I feel like there is a little something special this year. And I want to stay here.”
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I asked Pageau about Darche telling potential buyers around the draft that he wasn’t for sale and what that meant to him.
“It showed a lot of confidence in the group, before the season started, from management,’ Pageau said. “Things change, and we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
It is a business, and between now and March 6, things can change. Like, if the Islanders found themselves a few games back of a playoff spot, would that impact Darche’s decision regarding Pageau and other players, even after adding Ondrej Palat and Carson Soucy?
Comeback wins, as we saw on Thursday night, courtesy of Pageau, help quiet the sell narrative, which I don’t think exists anyway.
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Hard to argue against! Darche has been absolutely phenomenal steering the ship. Deadline might not be the best time to deal! However if he can thread the needle and both give this team a chance while having an eye on the future why not. Tampa and the Canes are the class of the East. Can one addition enable you to advance to the Cup Final? Risk Reward calculation! The one item we need is a speedy relatively young RW that’s not amongst our prospect pool.
It’s interesting 🤨 to see what goes down before the deadline. I’m not disappointed either way. At this point I would rather go for a Owen Tippet type if available. It’s a cheaper option unless the price goes down on Kyrou. It’s kinda ridiculous at this stage Kyrou has played in this limo state for 2 years in St. Louis. It has become a little comical! A lot of our best prospects are players with NHL futures. How successful is the question not if they are going to make it. That’s why it’s tough trading any of them.