The NHL Olympic Break is coming to a close. The New York Islanders returned to practice, and now their first game back from break is just one week away.
The Islanders currently hold a four-point lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Columbus holds two games in hand, while the Islanders have one in hand on the Capitals.
The Islanders are also just one point back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place in the division, with the Penguins holding two games in hand.
The standings are tight. The Islanders even play Columbus in New York's second game after the break in Columbus, on Saturday, February 28.
The Islanders will play a total of five games in eight days after break, all of which comes before the ninth day, which is also the NHL Trade Deadline.
Once everything resets and the roster freeze melts away, time's going to fly. The Islanders have a ginormous opportunity in front of them.
Not only do they enter with a playoff spot, but on Wednesday, Sidney Crosby suffered an injury while playing for Team Canada. He's been labeled as day-to-day, but it makes the Penguins that much more vulnerable.
So far in his nine months running the franchise, Islanders' General Manager Mathieu Darche has shown a willingness to make deals, but he's also been extremely calculated.
He made the Noah Dobson trade and got back a haul for the defenseman. He signed Maxim Shabanov and Jonathan Drouin, though neither have scored the way the franchise maybe hoped.
Alexander Romanov suffered a regular-season-ending shoulder injury, and Darche didn't rush into a deal. He allowed his younger plays to receive turns at trying to fill the hole, but it became apparent the Islanders needed a proper fix.
Darche then went out and acquired Carson Soucy for a third-round pick, a more-than-fair price for what the defenseman brings.
Meanwhile, it had become clear that the Islanders needed improved forward depth, ideally someone who could be versatile throughout the lineup. Maxim Tsyplakov was also on the outs, and with another year at $2.25 million, clearing his salary would help.
24 hours after the Soucy deal, Darche acquired Ondrej Palat, along with the New Jersey Devils' third and sixth round picks in 2026 and 2027 respectively.
Now's the time for the bigger splash. The Eastern Conference remains wide open. Ilya Sorokin is the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy. Matthew Schaefer is the heavy favorite to win the Calder Trophy and has two more seasons on an entry-level deal.
The Islanders need to acquire a game-breaking top-six forward. The Islanders have the second-fewest goals allowed in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Yet, the Islanders have the third-fewest goals per game and fourth-fewest actual goals in the Eastern Conference.
There's a multitude of options available. The St. Louis Blues are open for business, with Jordan Kyrou being the clearest, potentially best option. Kyrou's on a contract worth $8.125 million per year on the books.
Kyrou's scored 30+ goals in three straight seasons, but the Blues are potentially looking at a total rebuild. Kyrou's name has floated around these parts before, and there are ways to make this trade work:
Sticking in the Central Division, with Darche's ties to the Lightning already showing up in his acquisition of Palat, rumors of a deal for Steven Stamkos from the Nashville Predators sprang up, along with whispers about Michael Bunting:
Then, there's the dark-horse option. Returning to the negotiating table with the Canadiens, to look at acquiring Patrik Laine on the cheap.
Laine's biggest knocks are two-fold: he's been injury-prone, and his two-way game isn't the strongest. Laine's just now returning from an injury, too.
There's also the issue of his contract, with an $8.7 million AAV, but he's a pending UFA and the Canadiens have signalled a willingness to retain money.
The Islanders could likely acquire Laine for a mid-round draft pick, but it's a huge dice roll. Laine's only played five games this season, but what he'd bring would be undeniable.
The Islanders have craved someone who just shoots the puck religiously, and that's what Laine does.
What do all those players and options have in common?
They're scorers, and good ones at that. The Islanders can be smart. They've got just a hair over $6 million in cap space, and they're loaded with trade assets.
Whether Darche goes for a home-run swing at Kyrou, or a cheaper, but potentially perfect fit in Laine, he can't just stand pat, either.
There's a window open, one the Islanders can charge through and try to contend to win this year, right now. The Islanders know this, and surely have some internal plans ready to go.
In 15 days, we'll know exactly what plan it is and how it affects the Islanders now and later.