Five questions for the Islanders as they enter the 4 Nations break

The micro is the Islanders entered the NHL’s two-week break for the inaugural 4 Nations Face-off Tournament on a two-game losing streak following a tough road trip to Winnipeg and Minnesota on back-to-back nights.

The macro is the Islanders went into the hiatus having won 11 of their last 16 to re-insert themselves into the race for an Eastern Conference wild-card spot. They are four points behind the Red Wings for the second spot with the Blue Jackets, Bruins and Rangers also above them in the conference standings.

There are just six games remaining before the NHL trade deadline on March 7.

So it leaves a fair amount of questions before the Islanders resume their season against the Stars on Feb. 23 at UBS Arena, with the team expected to resume practicing next Tuesday.

Here are five of them:

1. Buyers or sellers?

A month after Lou Lamoriello again expressed his deep belief in his team’s ability to be a playoff contender, the team’s resurgence has only affirmed the president/general manager’s opinion, even given the current injury issues.

“I feel good about this team,” Lamoriello said on Jan. 9. “I feel good about this coaching staff.”

But Lamoriello must juggle a number of intertwined and moving parts before deciding on the best course of action.

Top-six forwards Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri are pending unrestricted free agents. Top-liner Mathew Barzal is injured and sidelined indefinitely. Three of the six regular defensemen are sidelined so coach Patrick Roy is dressing Dennis Cholowski but barely using him, putting heavy minutes on the other five blue-liners. Goalies Semyon Varlamov and Magnus Hogberg are both injured, too.

If he’s a buyer, Lamoriello likely needs both a defenseman and a forward and, possibly, an extra goalie. Lamoriello’s track record suggests he’ll either be a buyer or stand pat at the trade deadline, thus risking losing Nelson and Palmieri for no return.

2. Can Brock Nelson be signed?

There certainly seems to be a willingness on Lamoriello’s part to engage now in contract extension talks. But Nelson turns 34 at the start of next season and this will almost certainly be his last chance to cash in on a lucrative deal, especially with the salary cap rising by $7.5 million to $95.5 million next season and possibly up to $113.5 million by 2027.

Lamoriello typically is transparent in negotiations with the player and his agent about what the team’s best offer will be so Nelson and agent Ben Hankinson may find it prudent to use the open market to set Nelson’s worth.

Plenty of speculation has linked Nelson, from Warroad, Minnesota, and the Wild for next season.

3. How quickly – and how many – injured players can be expected back?

The list of wounded is long: Barzal (lower body/injured reserve), Varlamov (lower body/long-term injured reserve), Hogberg (upper body/injured reserve), defensemen Noah Dobson (lower body/LTIR), Ryan Pulock (upper body/IR), Scott Mayfield (lower body) and Mike Reilly (heart condition/LTIR).

Barzal just underwent a surgical procedure believed to be on his left kneecap and remains out indefinitely. Varlamov was skating on his own but suffered a setback and went back into a “total rehab situation,” per Lamoriello. Hogberg might be close to ready when the season resumes.

Lamoriello said the hope was for Pulock and Dobson to resume skating during the break but Mayfield, listed as day to day, is probably the closest to returning among the defensemen.

“We’ll use this break to just to kind of reset and hopefully get a couple of guys back,” Palmieri said. “Refresh ourselves physically and mentally.”

4. What to do with Anthony Duclair?

The well-traveled Duclair was expected to be a key offensive contributor after signing a four-year, $14 million deal. But he has not scored a point in seven games — a brutal statistic with Barzal out — and has just two goals and three assists in 21 games since returning from a 29-game absence for a lower-body injury. His skating, usually one of his strengths, is noticeably sluggish.

It will be difficult for Roy to keep him on the top line unless Duclair rebounds quickly.

5. What’s best to maximize Simon Holmstrom’s play?

 Holmstrom, the 23rd overall pick in 2019, is finally blossoming into a key offensive contributor as he’s shown increased confidence in his shot. He has 14 goals and 16 assists in 48 games, including four goals in his last seven games.

Perhaps Holmstrom deserves a shot on the top line.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.