The New York Islanders have to make decisions before the 4 Nations Face-Off
The New York Islanders showed their true colors on Monday night in their embarrassing 7-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
They not only enter the Christmas Break five points back of the second wild-card spot but also last in the Metropolitan Division.
Between now and the 4 Nations Faceoff, which begins on Feb. 12, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello needs to act.
The two names that should be in conversation immediately are forwards Brock Nelson (10 goals, 10 assists) and Kyle Palmieri (12 goals, 13 assists).
Nelson, 33, will see a dip in his numbers at some point. While we don’t know if there have been talks about an extension just yet, the movement of Mathew Barzal back to center could be the Islanders planning for life after No. 29.
If Lamoriello elects to sell, Nelson can't be playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations tournament as an Islander because of the injury risk.
Palmieri, 33, has been arguably the Islanders' most consistent player under Patrick Roy but with Simon Holmstrom doing a lot of what No. 21 can, getting better game by game, it doesn’t make sense to keep Palmieri around given his value as a goal scorer, a solid defensive player and a proven playoff performer.
Both Nelson and Palmieri have 15-team modified no-trade clauses.
They will bring the team back first-round picks, who then can be flipped for players who can help the team now and in the future.
Then you have centerman Jean-Gabriel Pageau, 32, who is having a resurgence and is on pace for 41 points while winning 59.9% of his face-offs.
Yes, he plays on a historically bad penalty kill, but having that defensive skillset is always a plus for a playoff team.
With one more year left at $5 million annually, there’s a market for him.
He, too, has a 15-team no-trade clause.
Despite a slow start to his season, centerman Casey Cizikas, 33, has won 54% of his draws and brings an energy that could jolt a group -- he may just need new batteries.
He has two years left at $2.50 million annually.
We will mention Anders Lee here, who has one year left after this year at $7 million and is having one of his better NHL seasons (13 goals, 14 assists). But trading the 34-year-old captain likely doesn’t happen unless he asks for a move elsewhere.
If the Islanders want to be able to retool this group, given the long-term adherence to Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Anthony Duclair, and Ilya Sorokin, along with the upcoming longer-term extensions to Noah Dobson, Alexander Romanov, Simon Holmstrom, and Maxim Tsyplakov, they need assets.
The prospect pool is pretty barren, so what they need is draft capital, and trading the players mentioned will bring that back.
If changes are coming, expect them to happen well before the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline.