The New York Islanders are stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and, in theory, should be sellers at the March 7 trade deadline.
General manager Lou Lamoriello, however, is not ready to throw in the towel just yet.
Speaking with reporters in Vegas on Thursday before the Islanders’ matchup with the Golden Knights, Lamoriello said that trading forwards Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri is “not a thought at this point,” per Newsday’s Andrew Gross.
The longer the Islanders stay in the basement of the Metropolitan Division, the more likely that stance changes. Nelson is expected to be the most sought-after player on the market in the coming weeks, having posted three straight 30-plus-goal seasons. Even during a down year that has featured just 10 goals in 40 games — he is a free agent after the season — the 33-year-old was still named to Team USA for the Four Nations Face-Off next month.
Palmieri is also on an expiring contract and coming off a season in which he scored 30 goals for the first time since 2015-16. He has 12 goals in 40 games this year but has scored just twice in his previous 18 games.
Lamoriello’s stance is predicated on his unwavering belief in the roster he has built, although it has had little turnover in the last five years that has seen the team devolve from back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances to a pair of non-competitive first-round playoff exits in each of the last two years.
Entering Thursday night’s action, the Islanders sat five points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, though six other teams sit between them and the current holders, the Columbus Blue Jackets.
