Report: Brayden Schenn Almost Vetoed Islanders Trade

New York Islanders center Brayden Schenn

No-trade clauses became the big topic of discussion around and after the trade deadline this year. And for good reason. It's become exceedingly apparent that there are a whole lot of them around these days. And teams want to see something done about it eventually.

Additionally, there were also plenty of vetoed trades that seemed to stymie a lof of the action we normally see at the deadline. Colton Parayko said no to the Buffalo Sabres; Tyler Myers vetoed a trade to the Detroit Red Wings; and Vincent Trocheck turned down a couple of potential trades out west.

Now, Elliotte Friedman has revealed on Hockey Night in Canada that it took a last-minute meeting between a couple of key members of the Islanders to convince Brayden Schenn not to say no to a trade there.

As many people saw, the Islanders and the Blues were actually staying at the same hotel out west. Well, they weren't sure if Schenn was going to take this deal. And what happened was, the Islanders (GM) Matthieu Darche and (head coach) Patrick Roy asked, 'Could we meet with Schenn face-to-face and talk to him about why he should join our team?'... And it was in that meeting that they convinced Schenn to say yes. And that was the final thing that got that Brayden Schenn deal over the line.

Can you imagine sitting in a room with an intense Patrick Roy working hard to get you to capitulate to his wishes?

Patrick Roy was very animated on the bench during that last TV timeout. Can’t blame him. #Isles pic.twitter.com/5iO6y1JMhp
— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) February 1, 2026

"There was no way that Patrick Roy was letting Schenn get out of that room without saying yes to the Islanders," Friedman said with a smile.

The 34-year-old Schenn did show up, and played over 17 minutes as the second line center in his first game with the Isles, a 2-1 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.

He's having a down offensive season, with just 12 goals and 28 points in 62 games. But he's an eight-time 20 goal scorer, a physical, gritty, two-way center, and a leader who comes to the Island with Stanley Cup pedigree, having won it all as a key cog with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.