Lou Lamoriello and the NY Islanders miss an opportunity to jumpstart a retool

After trading Nelson, it appeared as if Lamoriello was in retool mode. But then came the report that the Islanders notified Palmieri he wouldn't be traded and the two sides were working on an extension.

Palmieri, who is 34 years old, is still a capable of putting up numbers, and will likely finish this season with the sixth 25-goal season of his career. But he's a depreciating asset, and will now be playing without Nelson, who he's seen his most success on Long Island playing besides.

As today went on, the theme of the day was how much teams were willing to give up for middling forwards. Anthony Beauvillier fetched a second-round pick as he was traded from the Penguins to the Capitals, while Cody Glass went from the Pens to the NJ Devils for a third-round pick.

In a seller's market, Palmieri, an aging middle-six winger could have garnered a second-round pick plus other assets, but Lamoriello seems set on extending him.

Then there is the question surrounding the Islanders defense. Mike Reilly could play again this season after heart surgery, and if that were to happen, the Islanders have nine defensemen on the roster, but decided to stand pat.

On paper, the Islanders got worse today. They lost Nelson for nobody that can step into tomorrow's lineup and will likely miss the playoffs. Though they've created some space with Nelson (likely) not returning next season and the increase in the salary cap, the team still needs to re-sign Palmieri, Dobson, and Romanov (with Dobson and Romanov wanting significant raises) - which will take up most of their available cap space. If that's the case, the Islanders will be running out essentially the same lineup, minus Nelson.

Ritchie can probably step into the lineup next season, but he's at least two years away from making a significant impact.

After today, it's difficult to decipher what direction this Islanders team is heading. The Islanders had an opportunity to recoup assets and cap space for future trades, but Lamoriello decided to keep his guys, leaving plenty of questions to be answered over the summer.