If the NY Islanders don’t sell by the deadline, the fault lies with ownership

Lou Lamoriello has never been known as one to sell, and at 82 years old, it’s understandable that he wouldn’t want to. His time with the Islanders is likely his final foray as a General Manager in the NHL so in a personal sense, it makes sense that he’d want to go for it at all costs.

But when it comes to the organization as a business, that certainly doesn’t make the most sense.

If the Islanders make it to 3:01 pm on March 7, right after the trade deadline, and haven’t sold off any of their assets, the fault should lie on the shoulders of ownership above anybody else in the organization.

The team on the ice right now is not getting results. Patrick Roy said last night after the Isles 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, “I have nothing to support what I’m going to say, but we’re playing good hockey.” And in a sense, he’s not wrong. The team played well last night but isn’t scoring goals and has been abysmal on special teams.

The fan base is showing their displeasure at the gates, sitting 7th worst in the league in terms of attendance, filling only 91.33% of the 17,255 seats at UBS Arena according to @PuckReportNHL on X.

For a brand new arena that has only been open for four years, it has to be concerning to owners Scott Malkin and John Ledecky. With the opening of Belmont Park Village, Malkin wants the area around UBS Arena to be as packed as possible in order to bring in the most revenue.

While it’s tough to tear down a team and start over as it'll mean an even more empty arena, it’s malpractice to allow it to flutter into mediocrity before not having a choice and being forced to rebuild without receiving any assets from trades.