New York Islanders: What staying put at the deadline means
Someone is getting locked up.
The New York Islanders did enter this deadline as a winning team, which is usually correlated with being a buyer at the deadline. However, that did not mean they entered the deadline as a team who had no tradable assets, they had plenty. That is all null and void now.
So, if I’m Anders Lee, Jordan Eberle, Brock Nelson, Robin Lehner, or Valtteri Filppula, or any other free-agent to be this offseason, I would be relieved right now. Not only do they get to be part of the plan for this year’s playoff push that is getting more real by the minute, but there is a solid chance Lou Lamoriello is interested in signing them back this offseason, they have earned the trust of a multiple time Stanley Cup winning GM.
The Islanders are confident in the team they have now. By being confident in the team they have now, that likely means some of, if not all of these players will be back this offseason.
"You don't do something just for the sake of doing it. We're extremely pleased at where we are. This is a collective group that has done an outstanding job together. Our focus is just to go forward with it." https://t.co/7ASUfCZ0aR
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 25, 2019
Lou literally told Andrew Gross of Newsday, “we’ll do everything we can to keep them (UFAs). We’ll address it accordingly.”
So in retrospect, the Islanders were never worried about the trade deadline. In typical Lou fashion, their plan was always to build in the offseason where there will be more talent available and they won’t have to lose everything.
Obviously the Islanders can’t keep all these players come July, but the writing on the wall indicates a big name is going to re-sign and be part of the bigger picture beyond this season.
Actually, this leads us into my next point.