NHL Trade Deadline: When teams ask for Dal Colle or Ho-Sang, New York Islanders LOL

For a variety of reasons outlined in this report by Arthur Staple in Newsday, few expect the New York Islanders to do much of anything at the NHL trade deadline.

They're happy with their squad, their trades over the last year mean they don't have the picks for the rentals currently flying around the league, and they expect reinforcement when Casey Cizikas, Kyle Okposo and Mikhail Grabovski return from injured reserve before the playoffs arrive.

Other potential internal playoff reinforcements in Staple's report: Ryan Pulock and Griffin Reinhart, currently interning in AHL Bridgeport.

And that gets to the larger context around the Islanders' current roster management: The Islanders have been good at managing salaries, but to retain the current quality of squad they should expect bigger payouts coming. Nick Leddy is already signed long-term; they hope Johnny Boychuk will join him, likely at an even higher annual rate. Anders Lee and Brock Nelson are among the young talent due raises on their next contracts as pending restricted free agents.

That means that in order to sustain the success they appear to be building, the Isles will need to protect their younger (i.e. cheaper) high-end talent already on the roster as well as the blue chips on the way over the next few seasons.

So when Staple reports that any consideration of a major trade has invited this request from trade partners...:

according to sources, teams have asked for at least one of four Islanders prospects who won't be moved: 2014 first-round picks Michael Dal Colle and Joshua Ho-Sang, plus Bridgeport defensemen Griffin Reinhart and Ryan Pulock.

...you know the response from GM Garth Snow is a big ha, sorry, nice try, not happening, son.

This all makes for a quiet Monday deadline for Isles fans. But it should make for a pretty thrilling next three to five years.