The NY Islanders and the NHL brace for chaos at the conclusion of the roster freeze

The expectation coming into the year was that this season essentially had two trade deadlines. The first was on Feb 4, at the beginning of the Olympics roster freeze, and the other at the actual trade deadline on March 7. February 4 didn’t have the fireworks that were expected outside of the NY Rangers trading Artemi Panarin to the LA Kings. The NY Islanders were the most active team before the freeze, acquiring Carson Soucy and Ondrej Palat, but there could soon be more moves in the making.

The roster freeze is set to end at 11:59 on Sunday night - the same day as the Gold Medal game. That leaves just 13 days until the trade deadline, as we could see massive movement around the league before then.

The rumor mill is about to heat up

The Islanders sit in third place in the Metro Division, looking to hold off the Columbus Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals, and Philadelphia Flyers. Though the team has been playing well above what many expected coming into the season, there are still some glaring holes within this roster.

Losing Kyle Palmieri for the season to a torn ACL threw a wrench into the top-six forward group, subtracting a 25+ goal scorer. This team could use another forward who can fill the net, somebody along the lines of Steven Stamkos or Jordan Kyrou. But the price tag on both these players or any goal scorer is a hefty one.

Teams within the division and around the league will be stockpiling for a playoff run, and it'll be seen whether or not Mathieu Darche looks to do the same for the Islanders.

In recent seasons, instead of seeing trades materialize close to deadline day, GMs have opted to make those deals sooner rather than later, giving new additions time to acclimate to their new home. But with the roster freeze in place, the entire league will have just 13 days to work with, meaning trades will be coming fast and furious. There are likely deals already in place, so expect the rumor mill to heat up quickly.