In that case I'll go underground / Get some heavy rest /
Never have to worry / About what is worst and what is best / ...Oh, Domino
--Van Morrison, "Domino"
At some point in the next heavily caffeinated 50 hours the proverbial dominoes will fall, and a bunch of not-very-sexy but still-possibly-helpful unrestricted free agents-to-be will either re-sign with their current teams or be shipped to new ones for something bearing a strong resemblance to a 2nd- or 3rd- or 4th-round pick. One or two, if someone's lucky and someone's drinking, will even fetch a 1st. Every trade fetches a Girl Scout cookie.
(I associate the NHL Trade Deadline with Girl Scout cookies, because they usually arrive at the same time of year, and I spend the days mowing through box after box while clicking "refresh" to see just who, oh who, has acquired this year's Mike Sillinger.)
This meat market should involve the Islanders as much as it involves anyone else. Six teams by one count are in the mode where they don't have to think twice about selling expiring contracts. If the return for Carolina's Joe Corvo is "expected to be high," then whatever high passive voice is doing that kind of expecting might also expect a "high" return for our own Andy Sutton.
Meanwhile, the summer-hatched plan of fetching something useful for Martin Biron or, if someone's making a pricier run at "proven goalie" insurance, Dwayne Roloson, could as always be at the mercy of Rick DiPietro's latest visit to the doctor, this time for swelling in the knee. [Update via Botta: "Precautionary," says Rick -- nothing to be ... alarmed about. Update 2: Out "indefinitely," says the team -- for the sake of caution. Like sands in the hourglass...]
Is there a Jeff Tambellini escape pod or a Doug Weight swan song in the cards? Probably not, but you never know. This is the NHL trade deadline. The Girl Scout cookies do not stand a chance.
The Plan at This Here Site
As of this posting, the fore-linked Matt Stajan has re-signed in Calgary for a reported four years at $3.5 million (!) per, while former Flame Jordan Leopold has just found a new role with the defending Stanley Cup champions in return for a 2nd-round pick to Florida. Any further relevant but not groundbreaking updates will be added as they emerge.
But this is where you can have a lot of fun with this, dear reader: When you see new bits, drop them in comments of this post or the day's general post. Something massive? Post a FanShot link -- or if you have a deeper theory, put it in a FanPost. For quick takes of what other teams' fans think, you can check SBN's NHL Trade Deadline hub:
I'll add general daily posts for Tuesday and Wednesday's (in)activity, as well as separate posts for whatever moves the Islanders make. Maybe it will be a let down ("Woo, Aaron Ward was traded"), but the chaos usually delivers some sort of fun. So have at it and enjoy the circus.