Islanders and Blues Make AHL Focused Trade

Matt Luff (Acquired by Islanders):

The 28-year-old, 6’2″, ~200 lbs, Luff is a right winger who has spent this season primarily with the Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. He’s posted strong offensive numbers—39 points (14 goals, 25 assists) in 42 games. He can contribute at the AHL level, though his NHL track record has been limited to 111 games. The Islanders wrote,”… Luff has posted 28 points (16 goals, 12 assists) and 20 penalty minutes with the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings and Blues. He’s added 251 points (101 goals, 150 assists) in 321 career AHL games with Springfield, the Charlotte Checkers, Grand Rapids Griffins, Milwaukee Admirals and Ontario Reign.”

Luff signed a one-year, two-way contract with St. Louis in the offseason (2025), carrying a $775,000 NHL cap hit. He’ll likely report to the Bridgeport Islanders (NYI’s AHL team) to bolster their forward group.

Julien Gauthier (Traded to Blues):

At 28, Gauthier is a former first-round pick (21st overall in 2016 by Carolina). This season, he’s played 14 games for Bridgeport in the AHL, recording 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists) and 6 PIM.

He’s largely an AHL veteran with solid size (6’4″) and physicality. He’s limited when it comes to high-end production. The Blues noted that Gauthier will report to the Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Minor AHL Trade

Both players are on two-way deals, have AHL-heavy roles this year, and offer similar profiles as big, right-shot wingers who can score at the minor-league level but haven’t done much in the NHL. Don’t expect either player to be an impact player for their respective big-league rosters.

For the Islanders, this adds offensive upside to their AHL pipeline without costing assets or cap space. For the Blues (who are sellers), it gives them a player who’s performed well in Springfield recently.

This is little more than depth tinkering ahead of the March 6 deadline.