Ask The Maven: Fischler Shares Greatest Game He's Ever Seen Live If someone says they know exactly what New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/new-york-islanders-pierre-engvall-scott-mayfield-semyon-varlamov-ilya-sorokin] general manager Lou Lamoriello [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/new-york-islanders-lou-lamoriello-josh-bailey-nhl-draft-2023] is thinking...they are lying. From the lack of information shared regarding injuries to the delayed announcements of signings, that's how things roll on Long Island, as the 80-year-old has always kept his cards close to his vest. But this summer, things have been different with how Lamoriello, from his words to his actions. When we spoke with the two-time GM of the Year award winner following the season -- a month after the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Islanders -- he didn't hide his opinions about much of anything. He voiced that Josh Bailey [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/josh-bailey-new-york-islanders-chicago-blackhawks-trade]'s time with the organization "may" be coming to and, showing his cards, that moving the longest-tenured Islander was likely on his to-do list. Lamoriello also seemed to flaunt the center depth he has. "I think that we're fortunate to have the five center icemen we have. When I say pure center iceman, certainly Mat Barzal was moved over to right wing -- which I do agree and did agree with at that movement -- but we have the option to, if something should come about to make us better in a different situation, we could change the construction of our offensive lines and do different things. So we have flexibility," Lamoriello said. Lamoriello's words are always calculated. When we caught up with Lamoriello in Nashville, he again kept the honesty flowing as he discussed cap issues. "This is a unique year for a lot of reasons because of the cap. And when you talk unique because of the cap, you also have to think of the year coming up after this year and the year coming up after that," Lamoriello said. "We're in this position because of what happened with assumptions -- which, it's a real bad word -- of where the cap would be. So some of the signings that we made three years ago [...] we would not have done because, in your planning, you also know what the progression will be and can be because of where the revenues are going." A day later, minutes before Day 2 of the NHL Draft began, Bailey and his $5 million contract were on the move -- along with a 2026 second-round pick -- to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations (straight cap dump). The Blackhawks immediately bought him out, as Bailey is now a free agent. On Saturday, a report came out that the Islanders were in trade talks with the Ottawa Senators for restricted free agent forward Alex DeBrincat [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/new-york-islanders-ufas-trades-alex-debrincat-travis-konecny-adam-henrique-lou-lamoriell]. Jean-Gabriel Pageau [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/new-york-islanders-brock-nelson-adam-pelech-ryan-pulock-jg-pageau-ilya-sorokin], who carries a $5 million cap hit each of the next three seasons, was rumored to be a piece heading back the other way if a trade came to fruition. READ MORE: Here's The Latest On The DeBrincat Situation [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/alex-debrincat-new-york-islanders-hockey-night-in-new-york-steve-warne-ottawa-senators] I was told that we could see Pageau on the move, even if it's not in a deal for DeBrincat, so keep an eye on No. 44 as the summer progresses. Pageau set career highs in assists this past season, with 27, also setting a career-high in the face-off dot, winning 57.2 percent of his draws. The 30-year-old Ottawa native and former Senator could be the final piece to a Stanley Cup contender, and given the lack of free agent options, there are likely many suitors for the defensive forward. Moving Pageau would give the Islanders $6.086 million in cap space, with restricted free agent Oliver Wahlstrom likely to take as much as $1.1 million of that. In a shocking turn of events, Lamoriello announced all of his unrestricted free agents' signings on day one of free agency, about two months prematurely to his standards. Lamoriello also allowed the financial breakdowns to get out, something we rarely see. READ MORE: Islanders Bring Back Engvall, Mayfield & Varlamov, Extend Sorokin [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/new-york-islanders-pierre-engvall-scott-mayfield-semyon-varlamov-ilya-sorokin] During his post-signings press conference, Lamoriello spoke about a hole on the backend that he may try to fill this summer. "Certainly, there's an opening on that left side that was shared by Aho for the most part, and then Bolduc. If we can get better and add to that...but this is a solid defensive group," Lamoriello said. Something feels weird about this summer compared to others. That's not to say Lamoriello's plan will lead to a top-six forward or a puck-moving defenseman, as it takes two sides to tango, but, as mentioned, Lamoriello's actions are calculated. The summer rolls on... You can listen and watch Stefen Rosner [https://twitter.com/stefen_rosner] talk New York Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYN7JIgdHnM&t=956s] with co-host Sean Cuthbert [https://twitter.com/seanyhockey]. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYN7JIgdHnM[/embed]
