At last, the trade deadline is upon us! But will Isles fans be happy when the dust settles? Naturally, the Islanders bounced back with a pair of wins after a 4-game losing streak to make the picture a little less clear heading into the March 7th cut-off. Sean and Stefen cover everything Islanders and try to predict where the trade winds blow.
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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
I was away on a ‘guys trip’ in North Carolina this weekend, so I missed watching the second goal credited to a New York Islanders goaltender in NHL history on Saturday afternoon. Oh well, it’ll happen again in the next 40+ years.
Of the eight of us on the trip, I am the lone Islanders fan; there’s one Devils fan, and everyone else roots for the Rangers. During the weekend, news broke of the Rangers’ trade of Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to the Colorado Avalanche and that the team would hold out Reilly Smith from last night’s game against Nashville due to trade considerations.
I bring this up because I want to share their attitudes toward their team’s posture toward the deadline. They were completely fine with their team being sellers. After winning the President’s Trophy and reaching the Eastern Conference Final, they’re ready for more of a roster shakeup because, in their eyes, considering their play and injuries, their team can’t get to a Stanley Cup Final this season.
Now contrast that with the Islanders, who haven’t had the recent regular-season success of the Rangers, also have a top player in Mathew Barzal, out indefinitely, and have the chance and getting significant returns for their players. If Rangers fans are comfortable with their team looking ahead, so should Isles fans.
