Weird Islanders: The Podcast! - Episode 36 - Taylor Beck, Christopher Gibson and the ”Big” Trade that Wasn’t (with guest Arthur Staple)

2023-11-10

Joined by their friend Arthur Staple of The Athletic, Mike and Dan remember a rare NHL five-for-one trade that didn't really work out for either the Islanders or Maple Leafs. Just before training camp 2015, the Islanders sent winger Michael Grabner, an impending free agent coming off a couple of down years, to Toronto for five prospects: forwards Taylor Beck and Carter Verhaeghe, defenders Matt Finn and Tom Nilsson and goalie Christopher Gibson. In a very buttoned-up sport, trading one player for almost an entire starting lineup should be notable. But in this case, the results were mixed at best. Staple, who covered the Islanders at the time and is back on the beat now, tells us about Gibson's intelligence and intermittent excellence, Beck's missed potential, Grabner's short stay with the Leafs (and why he gave Staple the cold shoulder for a while), and how everyone missed on Verhaeghe before his recent breakout seasons. Time to look back on what seemed like a wild trade that just got sucked into the ether.

Thanks again to Art for coming on. It's always great catching up with him and we're thankful to have him back covering the Islanders again.

Subscribe to our Patreon! Plans start as low as $2 a month and patrons get ad-free episodes of the shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, discounts and much more.

Our theme is "Knuckles" by Björn Falk. Hear more of his music on Spotify and at Bandcamp.

Visit our friends:

Vintage Ice Hockey for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, and our Al Arbour and The Island merch which benefit dementia research. If you spend $50 or more, use the code FOURCUPS to get a free The Island coffee mug or pint glass or an Islanders Anxiety puck.
The Pinot Project has a Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Pinot Noir, all under $15 a bottle. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena.
Visit Lighthousehockey.com for the most up-to-date Islanders news and discussion.
Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (@FansFirstSN).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comments (3)