Rumor Has It

Two games to go before the break

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

One rumor was shot down yesterday as another one began.

The day started with Chris Botta reporting that multiple sources have stated that Brock Nelson’s first choice is to sign an extension with the Islanders and remain on Long Island. That news comes after John Buccigross noted that it was the “worst kept secret” in hockey that Nelson would sign back home in Minnesota. Later, Stefen Rosner went directly to the source and got Nelson on the record about what the ESPN broadcaster had said:

"That's a funny one. If [Buccigross] knows the deal, I guess, have him let me know," Nelson told The Hockey News. "That's nothing that I thought about or anything like that. And I think it's also just an easy one to say that for any Minnesota guy they'd love to go back and play for Minnesota.”

Botta said that as many as six or seven teams would make offers to the Islanders for Nelson, but GM Lou Lamoriello will likely prefer to keep him, especially if the Isles hover around the final playoff spots at the deadline. 

Meanwhile, a sometimes right social media source, Incarcerated Bob, started creating smoke around defenseman Noah Dobson’s availability. With the injury to Mathew Barzal and the team’s sudden defensive depth, it wouldn’t be a shock if teams asked about the 25-year-old defenseman who put up 70 points last season - the first Isles’ defenseman to do that since Denis Potvin.

Dobson had taken a step back offensively this season (6G, 18A for 24 points in 46 games) before being injured on Jan. 20. He’s an RFA this off-season, meaning the Isles once again will be decided whether to make a long-term investment in their homegrown 2018 1st-round pick. The rising salary cap helps, but Alexander Romanov also fits into that category. With money locked up in Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock for the next three seasons, it’s not outlandish to think the Isles may see Dobson as an asset that can help fill voids elsewhere in the lineup.

It could be a very interesting or very underwhelming trade deadline. We have two weeks without games, followed by a sprint to Mar. 7 to see what other rumors are brought up and shot down until then.

Let’s dive in.

📰 NEWS: The Isles are in Winnipeg tonight against the Western Conference-leading Jets. The Isles have won eight of their last nine games against the Jets. New York lost their last trip to Canada Life Centre, but they have won four of their previous five games in Buth Goring’s hometown, including four of their last five games in Winnipeg. Defenseman Scott Mayfield (day-to-day, lower-body) won’t travel with the team, but forward Hudson Fasching, who has missed the last 13 games, will make the trip.

It Takes Two

After Jakub Skarek debuted last Sunday night in the backend of a back-to-back, Patrick Roy announced that red-hot Ilya Sorokin is expected to play both Friday in Winnipeg and Saturday night in Minnesota. “The plan is to play him both games,” Roy said after practice. “I don’t like to go too far ahead. We’ll focus on Winnipeg, but the plan is to play him both games.” Sorokin is 9-1-0 in his last 10 games with a 1.66 GAA, a .942 SV% and two shutouts, allowing only 15 goals.

Long Island Made

The Islanders' pipedream of winning the NHL lottery and selecting Long Island’s own James Hagens with the first overall pick has become even less likely following their strong play since the beginning of January. Professional hockey players from Long Island are rare, and when they do come around, we find out that they are New York Rangers fans. That’s not the case with Hagens, who is also a better prospect than any of the ones who have come before.

In a story for The Athletic, Arthur Staple writes about the Hagens family fandom that bleeds orange and blue. The Isles were pretty good when he was growing up, and like many young kids during that time, he wore No. 91 jerseys to games. “I can still remember the towels they’d put on the back of the seats at the Coliseum for a playoff game,” Hagens said. “We went to a lot of games there. Everyone I know stuck with them, through all the ups and downs. You can’t just switch up. That’s where your love for hockey starts. You grow up idolizing those guys.”

Hagens idolized those Islanders and then was trained by a few others, including Eric Boulton and Benoit Hogue. The longshot dream of him coming home to play in the NHL is unlikely, but maybe he can force his way back here one day in free-agency. Wouldn’t that be something?

⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders are in Winnipeg tonight against the Central Division-leading and top team in the Western Conference. The face-off against the Jets is set for 8:00 PM EST.

📊 STANDINGS:

📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Ilya Sorokin has now won six straight starts and seven straight appearances (including his overtime-only outing); it is the second time in his career that he has had a winning streak of at least seven games (8 in 2021). He has allowed just seven goals in those six starts.

Most Consecutive 20-Win Seasons in Islanders History:

• Chico Resch 5 (1975-76-1979-80)

• Rick DiPietro 4 (2003-04, 2005-06-2007-08)

• Ilya Sorokin 4 (2021-22 to present)

🎥 ISLES REWIND: On February 7, 2016, which was Super Bowl Sunday, Kyle Okposo had a hat trick and an assist, and John Tavares had a goal, and two assists to help the New York Islanders to an 8-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Barclays Center. Johnny Boychuk, Nikolay Kulemin, Josh Bailey, and Cal Clutterbuck had goals for the Isles, which avoided a three-game losing streak. Thomas Greiss made 30 saves in his first start since Jan. 12.

🔗 Islanders must survive two final challenges before 4 Nations reprieve by Ethan Sears, New York Post “Patrick Roy has made clear on numerous occasions this season that he doesn’t like framing individual games as a litmus test for the Islanders. Well, too bad, because that’s exactly what the last two games before the two-week 4 Nations break are, with the Islanders visiting the NHL-leading Jets the day before facing another playoff team in the Wild.”

🔗 Simon Holmstrom, Casey Cizikas, Jean-Gabriel Pageau have been a high-quality line in Islanders' playoff drive by Denis P. Gorman, Newsday “And the line that coach Patrick Roy said was put together out of necessity earlier in the season because of a spate of injuries consistently has generated offense while matched up against some of the NHL’s preeminent forwards.”

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And we leave you with this…Butch Goring home and away helmets in the Manitoba Hall of Fame. Always a special homecoming trip for the Isles legend.

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