Sunday Night Hockey Night in NY, after a 3-0 week, the Isles have reeled us back in. Sean and Stefen got back behind the mics to talk about the successful stretch, how it affects their playoff chances, and what it could mean for the trade deadline. Justin Bourne joined in to talk Isles, Trade Deadline, Patrick Roy, and more.
Good Morning, Islanders Country.
We’ve gone from ‘maybe the Islanders should trade Brock Nelson’ to ‘the Islanders could be buyers at the trade deadline’ in a week. That’s what a three-game winning streak has done to the psyche of the fanbase that is feeling better about this team than they have at any point since November.
First, on Nelson, SportsNet’s Elliotte Freidman addressed the chatter around the lifelong Islander and the team’s leading scorer on his 32 Thoughts Podcast and made it clear that there’s no indication that the team is considering it. If you trade him, [Nelson] you're really changing the soul of your team, so I just think that's talk." said the NHL Insider. "Lou Lamoriello would rather eat his left leg than trade Brock Nelson.”
Thanks for the visual, Elliotte.
I think the Islanders being sellers talk can be put on hold again until around this time next season. We can’t say for certain they are buyers, either. Lamoriello has little cap space to work with, meaning he’ll have to be more creative than trading a mid-round draft pick to add a depth forward like he did last season when acquiring Pierre Engvall for a third-round pick.
The Isles would likely have to move a contract or create more space through injury designations that complicate things if the decision is to be aggressive come Friday. The Islanders have two games before we keep refreshing our social media feeds, and maybe two more wins before that pushes him in that direction.
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