ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Islanders, under the guidance of coach Lou Lamoriello, generally took one of two paths at the trade deadline.
Lamoriello got the job done before deadline day, like the Bo Horvat and Pierre Engvall trades a year ago and the Kyle Palmieri trade in 2021.
Or, like in 2022 or 2024 after a quiet Friday afternoon, he does nothing and is content with what he has.
“Certainly, there’s no question that we’re happy with who we are and where we are at this point,” Lamoriello said on a Zoom call. “I didn’t think I could upgrade.”
Lamoriello publicly dismissed the idea of selling earlier this week, and the path to a buy seemed much narrower.
After the Islanders placed Scott Mayfield on long-term injured reserve on Tuesday, it looked like that would create enough salary cap room to add depth elsewhere, but the GM Despite putting a round pick on the table, nothing came of it.
“If a first-round pick could do something for us, as it has in the past, we would have done it,” Lamoriello said.
“It didn’t matter, because we didn’t have the first experience.[-round] choose [since 2019]. It is up to you to make the best decision for today and tomorrow, and comfort is certainly the key when it comes to actually using it. [in a deal] If you have that in your package, that means you can sign that player.
“So it wasn’t a thought process of not making a trade and trying to save a pick to make the team better. If we had the ability to do that, that would have been the case. [it]”
Friday marked the fourth consecutive trade deadline day for the Islanders.
The last time Lamoriello signed on the last day of his request was back on February 24, 2020, when he was traded to Ottawa for Jean and three draft picks, including a first- and second-round pick in that year’s draft. Sent to. Gabriel Pageau.
Just like last season, Lamoriello was transferred in January and immediately became the biggest headline in the league.
But it wasn’t a blockbuster deal, it was a coaching change with Patrick Roy replacing Lane Lambert.
Asked about the deadline Thursday night, Roy said: “I haven’t even thought about this.” “I’m very happy with how we played. Lou does his thing and we have to do ours. The focus is on our game, how we play. I think it depends on how you want to play. Nobody here can control what happens tomorrow.
“I want to say this to you guys: I’m very excited about how the team is playing and that’s all that matters to me.”
It was a diplomatic answer, but also a logical one after the Islanders defeated San Jose 7-2, extending their winning streak to a season-high five games and moving within two points of a playoff spot. there were.
Mayfield will be out for at least four to six weeks, but the Isles were pleased with Sebastian Aho’s performance on the offside. Lamoriello also said right-hander Robert Bortuzzo should return from LTIR “within the next few days.”
Depth scoring has been an issue for much of the season, but has improved since Roy took over up front.
And because of the tight salary cap, it was never possible to sign a superstar like Horvat for two years in a row.
“We don’t make trades to make trades,” Lamoriello said. “That’s not in your vocabulary. And sometimes the best deals you make, when you’re faced with a side situation where you might consider, you always do it with people you know, you It’s about relying on the people that we have and the risk of what might happen. And what you have to consider is the chemistry of the team. That’s a very important thing.”
And now it’s going very well.
“We’ve both been strong together, and we’ve got to keep climbing up here,” Noah Dobson said Thursday night. “But definitely the atmosphere was good.”
