LOS ANGELES — The good unknown of buying and selling Brock Nelson was all the time going to be in what it did to the Islanders dressing room.
Different long-term, valued Islanders have left lately — Cal Clutterbuck, Josh Bailey, Anthony Beauvillier, Jordan Eberle, Nick Leddy.
However this was the primary time below Lou Lamoriello, the primary time for just about each participant on the roster, that the Islanders made a transfer the place the only function was to give attention to the longer term, with a tacit acknowledgment that — no matter is claimed publicly — maximizing this season is not the primary precedence.
This was not concerning the wage cap, it was not a hockey commerce, it was not about transferring on from a participant who had aged out, it was not a troublesome choice pressured by the enlargement draft.
If the Islanders have been atop the Japanese Convention proper now and looking out like a Stanley Cup contender, they virtually actually would have rolled the cube and saved Nelson.
Lamoriello didn’t wish to make this transfer, however his hand was pressured when Nelson didn’t signal a contract extension, and he made what was inarguably one of the best transfer for the longer term.
Right here within the current, although, the Islanders have skated via their first two video games with out Nelson wanting like their fireplace has been ripped out of them.
They managed to beat the Sharks anyway on Saturday, largely because of Ilya Sorokin placing up a superhuman first interval whereas ready for the remainder of the crew to point out up, earlier than getting their doorways blown off on Sunday in Anaheim.
It’s solely two video games, and although the Isles acknowledged Saturday night time was unusual with out Nelson, there have been different circumstances that would have contributed to their efficiency in each video games.
Going 4 days with no recreation straight right into a back-to-back is just not excellent for any crew.
Unhealthy nights occur.
The Islanders, with a dearth of additional forwards on the roster, used Adam Boqvist as a centerman on Sunday with Kyle MacLean out sick.
Nonetheless, it was arduous to not discover that for lengthy swatches of each video games, the Islanders regarded disinterested.
They haven’t been a very bodily crew all season, however even the gamers who’re normally exceptions to that rule weren’t ending checks, or actually even beginning them.
If that’s what the norm goes to be down the house stretch, the Islanders aren’t solely going to overlook the playoffs — they are going to speed up their very own breakup.
Even when the Islanders made a robust accounting of themselves over the ultimate 19 video games of the season, the chances would nonetheless be in opposition to them within the playoff race.
They began Monday 4 factors again of the cutline with 5 groups to leap over.
The Senators, who occupy the East’s final wild-card spot, have performed one fewer recreation than them.
The Isles’ lack of ahead depth additionally means they completely can not afford for anybody to get harm, and so they’ve had horrible damage luck all yr.
The schedule, beginning with Tuesday’s match on the Kings, can be about to get a lot more durable, with the Panthers and Oilers visiting UBS Area as soon as the Islanders get again from California.
However for the previous two seasons, they’ve cobbled collectively runs to get in proper on the finish, and neither of these got here with rosters a lot better than they’ve proper now.
Largely, it was a credit score to the Islanders leaning on their expertise, digging deep and discovering that additional little bit of depth when it counted most.
You recognize, the alternative of what they did Sunday.
The Islanders aren’t simply taking part in to maintain their postseason hopes alive — they’re taking part in for their very own futures as Lamoriello evaluates the extent of the change that ought to happen after the season.
That must be sufficient to encourage one thing a lot better than what we noticed over the weekend.
