Trade rumors dry up as NY Islanders beat Nashville, Sorokin "scores"

Isles defeat struggling Predators, stay in the mix, but is it a costly win?

The Islanders played a matinee on Saturday, beating the Nashville Predators 7-4 at UBS Arena in Elmont. Brock Nelson led the charge with two goals, giving him 19 on the season, and an assist. His next will give him nine seasons of 20+ goals in the NHL, a major accomplishment for the player from Warroad, Minnesota. The former 1st round pick has scored 294 goals in 899 games, all as a NY Islander, and added 278 assists for 572 points. That's good for 5th in NYI history in goals and 8th on the points list. But as Nelson crept closer to the 20-goal mark, did the win make it harder for GM Lou Lamoriello to move the star by the trade deadline of March 7th? Nelson, along with linemate Kyle Palmieri, are both Unrestricted Free Agents come season end and able to negotiate new contracts with any team in the NHL. The Islanders are still within five points of a Wild Card spot, even though the win didn't help them jump any of the six teams ahead of them in the standings. The GM has a long history of not dealing UFAs while his teams are still in playoff contention, so would this season be any different? As written previously, the Islanders are an aging team with no real prospects in their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders. With the Islanders having around a 25% chance of actually making the playoffs, it seems like a pretty big gamble Lamoriello is willing to make by not dealing the two high-valued players.

Trade rumors surrounding the Islanders have dried up

For most of the month of February, the trade rumors involving the Isles were swirling around the NHLs message boards and podcasts. Nelson is considered to be the most sought-after UFA potentially available. Palmieri would be a nice "rental" to a contender needing a top-six forward for the playoffs and there were even talks of RFA defenseman Noah Dobson moving from Long Island. However, in the last week those rumors have died down with the team still vying for the last spot in the Eastern Conference. With less than a week to go before the 3pm deadline on March 7th, it quite possibly seems this team will finish the season as they began in October. They're one of the oldest teams in the NHL, they have no reliable backup goaltender (their 2nd & 3rd options are injured) and no depth in the system to rebuild for the future.

Roki kinda scores, how does this team move forward

NY Isles goalie, Ilya Sorokin, was credited with the 7th goal of the game. An empty-netter that deflected off him last before the Preds errant pass that ended up in their own net, 200 feet away. He becomes the 2nd Islander and 20th NHL goalie to be credited with a goal. While it was a nice "accomplishment" for the Isles goalie, the goal and the win might just be too little to late. The Islanders, 27-25-7 for 61 points, still have a lot of ground to make up in the final 21 games of the season. The big question, no matter the outcome of this season, is where do the Islanders go from here? Do they part ways with GM Lamoriello and clean house in the front office? Will coach Patrick Roy change his coaching staff? Are Nelson and Palmieri allowed to skate away for nothing come July 1st? Will they resign D Noah Dobson? How do the Isles improve their farm system? So many questions, so little time (until March 7th and beyond).