Islanders: Three questions leading into the trade deadline

How aggressive will Lou be?

We’ve heard Lou kicked the can on Mark Stone at last year’s trade deadline. But he didn’t decide to give the Ottawa Senators what they were asking for their star player. Based on what Ottawa got from Vegas you’d have to think Dobson was the player the Isles would have to give up. I’m glad Lou said no.

But what about now? How aggressive will Lamoriello be in his quest to land a goal scorer?

His team (typically) operates with surgical precision in the defensive end and they have been incredibly successful for it. They’ve gone 76-40-11 for 163 points since Lou was hired by the Islanders. That’s good for the fifth-best record in the NHL.

But in order to become the cream of the crop and attain “contender” or “favorites” status, the Islanders need help up front. Lou obviously knows this. That’s why he went all-in on Artemi Panarin during free agency this past summer. He knows his team is one star-player away from being an elite team in the NHL.

So will he show that same aggressiveness at the trade deadline?

Will he be willing to part with some of his future in order to bolster the squad today? And how much of the future is he ready to part with?

The Islanders first-round pick in 2020 is certainly in play, but what prospects are in play for Lou? Oliver Wahlstrom is at the top of the Islanders prospects depth chart. Behind him are Kieffer Bellows, Otto Koivula, Bode Wilde, Jakub Skarek, and maybe even Ilya Sorokin. That’s a lot of ammunition to land a star player.

How much of that prospect pool is Lou willing to part with for an immediate return even if it’s a rental?

How aggressive Lou is going to depend on who’s available at the trade deadline.