Islanders stay put at NHL trade deadline

The trade deadline has come and gone and everything on Long Island remains status quo.

Beyond making two minor-league deals and moving defenseman Andy Sutton to Ottawa on Tuesday for a second-round pick in 2010, the Islanders made no trades Wednesday before the 3 p.m. deadline.

Not only did the Islanders not move goaltenders Dwayne Roloson or Martin Biron, but they also had nothing new to report regarding the status of injured goaltender Rick DiPietro.

General manager Garth Snow said that after meeting with DiPietro's doctors before Tuesday's game against Chicago, the prognosis has not changed. DiPietro, who was placed on injured reserve (knee swelling) Tuesday retroactive to Feb. 28, remains out indefinitely.

Snow did say, however, that he is optimistic that DiPietro will return sometime this season and expects that the latest setback will sideline him 7-10 days.

Until then, Snow has Roloson and Biron to assume goaltending duties. Having both netminders remain with the Islanders is somewhat surprising, given the team's long-standing plan to move one, but Snow said that the latest development with DiPietro had no impact on the team's maneuvering at the deadline.

"Coming into the season we were sitting there with Rick not being healthy and we thought it was a great luxury to have two number one goalies. Rick is out right now and we have two number one goalies and we're battling for a playoff spot," Snow said.

The Islanders signed Biron July 22 with the intention of trading him once DiPietro returned healthy after rehabbing a surgically repaired left knee. Snow had been fielding inquiries for the past two months about Biron once that scenario came to fruition and although Roloson's strong play and resultant value garnered speculation that the Islanders might re-prioritize which goaltender to trade, Biron was the one they actively tried to move.

Had the team received significant interest in Biron, they would have moved him, but they did not. It is believed that Biron's price tag was a deterrent, even with his one-year, $1.4 million deal prorated for the last six weeks of the season.

While Snow received interest for Roloson, as well as veteran Richard Park, he focused his efforts on dealing Biron.

"Roloson is our MVP," Snow said. "You saw the way he played [Tuesday] night."

The Islanders now revert to a situation similar to the beginning of the season, with Roloson and Biron in the mix and DiPietro's status lingering tenuously overhead. It is no secret that the situation is not ideal for any of the parties involved, but Snow said that this is an inevitable part of the business.

"It's about winning hockey games," Snow said. "The team comes first and anyone that doesn't believe that and puts themselves in front of the team . . . that won't be accepted."

Notes & quotes: Islanders defenseman Andrew MacDonald is out 4-6 weeks with a fractured foot suffered after blocking a shot on Tuesday. Bridgeport defenseman Dylan Reese is expected to join the team in Atlanta Thursday. Trent Hunter (upper body) is out one to two weeks.