Islanders aren't feeling any jitters as NHL trade deadline nears
Islanders left wing Anders Lee skates with the puck against Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in the first period of an NHL game at UBS Arena on Tuesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A little uncertainty or tension is typical when the NHL trade deadline looms, but there was not a trace around the Islanders as they opened a four-game road trip Thursday night. President/ general manager Lou Lamoriello’s declaration earlier in the week that he would “absolutely not” subtract likely eased any concerns.
Even coach Patrick Roy joked about it with the media — “So when is the deadline finished?” — before the Islanders faced the cellar-dwelling Sharks at SAP Center.
The trade deadline comes at 3 p.m. on Friday, and the Islanders — who brought a season-high four-game winning streak into Thursday night’s game and entered within four points of a playoff spot — might try to add a scoring wing or some defense depth.
On a related note, just before puck drop the Sharks traded forward Anthony Duclair to the Lightning, perhaps shortening the list of players available to the Islander. The Sharks also held Alexander Barabanov out of their lineup with the expectation that the pending unrestricted free agent would be traded by Friday’s deadline.
But other than that sort of speculation, the trade deadline seemingly is not affecting them.
“We kind of cover this every year,” Anders Lee said. “We know how much Lou believes in us. We know how much we believe in each other in this room and what we have. We put ourselves in a spot where that question may be brought up. But we have an opportunity to build and be better. Just knowing Lou, he’s always trying to make this team better.”
For context, Lamoriello was not a seller at the trade deadline in 2022 even with the Islanders 19 points out of a playoff spot that day en route to their only postseason miss since his arrival in 2018. Instead, Lamoriello announced contract extensions that day for Cal Clutterbuck and Zach Parise.
“We all have confidence in the team that we have,” said Clutterbuck, again a pending UFA. “I think that’s what makes us us. And I think that’s what makes parts of earlier in the season disappointing because I feel like we’re better than that and we’re capable. He’s always maintained that he believes in us and we appreciate it. We have to go out and prove that we’re to be believed.”
“The thing with Lou is he has his players’ back all the time,” said Bo Horvat, last season’s big in-season acquisition from the Canucks. “Everybody believes in this group and what we have and the personnel we have in here. For him to realize that and for him to believe in this group and trust us is big for us just in the confidence moving forward.”
Roy, who had a say in personnel when he coached the Avalanche from 2013-16, is going through his first trade deadline with Lamoriello after being hired to replace the fired Lane Lambert on Jan. 20.
He said he is fine if Lamoriello makes no moves by Friday’s deadline.
“I love the group that is on the ice with me right now,” Roy said. “I’m extremely happy.”
Roy said he hopes Lamoriello’s statement that he would not subtract from the group “brings confidence.”
“Lou always believed,” Roy said. “That’s the first thing he said to these guys when I got in; he believes in these guys, and that’s the reason that I’m here because I like this group. I see great things in that group. I’m very happy with the way the team has been responding in the last month. We’ve been putting some seed and now we start to see it grow. It’s the patience.”
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.
