Well…here we are. The trade deadline is over, and the Islanders march on without one of the most steady, durable and ultimately prolific performers of this generation of Islanders. The guys who were together for the better part of 10 years or even more, many having come up together from Bridgeport and/or started families on Long Island.
The Isles are in San Jose tonight, where the Sharks are continuing their teardown/rebuild.
The Isles are four points behind teams that are in wild card position and trying to stay there. This California trip will set a tone of whether they remain hopeful or descend into post-deadline malaise. (And can’t you just see the injury-saddled Devils plummeting out of the playoff picture and getting a lottery pick while the Isles sneak in for a first-round slaughter?)
It’s a 10 p.m. EST start, so you’re going to lose an hour right after this one’s over. First Islanders Goal picks go here.
The deadline day still included some games, with the Red Wings, Devils and Penguins all losing handily in regulation.