Islanders News: No Isles for a week [sad face]

The NHL is officially on break for the All-Star Game and all its festivities, meaning many of the players get a well-deserved rest. Not all, though. Some have to go to San Jose for those same festivities. Others, waiver-exempt rookies, for example, get sent to the minors because they don’t get a break.

And we fans? Well, tonight we have nothing. Friday night not really either, since they don’t do the All-Star Fantasy Draft anymore. Saturday is the Skills Competition, and Sunday afternoon is the All-Star Tournament.

Look out for a new episode of Islanders Anxiety later this morning. Based on the title, the guys seemed confused about the state of affairs surrounding the Islanders.

Islanders News

• Before the All-Star Break, rookies Michael Dal Colle and Devon Toews were loaned to Bridgeport. Andrew Gross presumes they’ll be back after the break, and Dal Colle will likely play in the AHL All-Star Game, for which he was selected. Toews better be back, though. [Newsday]
• I was hoping Toews would get a rest, too, because the Islanders face a grueling schedule when they return from break. Although, the Sound Tigers only have one game this week. [Newsday]
• Dal Colle and Toews weren’t a part of Bridgeport’s 5-2 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last night. It was a better effort than what they’d been putting up, though. [CT Post | Sound Tigers]
• Carey makes an impassioned but measured plea for GM Lou Lamoriello to be an aggressive buyer at the Trade Deadline. [LHH]
• Tuesday’s game against the Blackhawks was a showdown between two puck possession kings, Mathew Barzal and his idol Patrick Kane. [The Point]
• On Saturday, March 9, the Stanley Cup will be at DCU Center, home of the Worcester Railers, when they host the Norfolk Admirals. [RailersHC]
• In the ESPN on Ice podcast, Rick DiPietro joins the hosts to talk about how hot the Islanders have been. Martin St. Louis also joins to discuss his new role with the Blue Jackets. [ESPN]
• Once upon a time, the Boston Celtics, one of the most storied franchises in NBA and sports history, almost moved to Long Island. [Newsday]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Capitals entering the break on a seven-game slide after their loss to the Maple Leafs - I’ll take it. Alex Ovechkin entered the night one point shy of Sergei Fedorov’s record for points scored by a Russian, and got a goal to tie him.

• The speculation was that a change at the Oilers’ GM position was looming - well, it happened. Peter Chiarelli was finally fired by Edmonton brass, a mere 30 hours after signing that dreadful Mikko Koskinen deal. His tenure was pretty terrible and he wasted most of Connor McDavid’s younger years. [NHL | C&B]
• VIDEO: Bob Nicholson, CEO of Oilers Entertainment Group, isn’t convinced that everyone in the locker room is “all on the same page.” Which translates to, there aren’t enough players that are “good in the room,” and rebuilds that focus on character over skill almost always go well. [TSN]
• The Cult of Hockey podcast attempts to answer Nicholson’s comment about what’s “wrong with the water here in Edmonton.” Haven’t listened yet, but I’m gonna say it’s lack of talent despite being right up against the salary cap! [SoundCloud]
• Now that they have finally rid themselves of Chiarelli, the Oilers would be wise to adopt the model of Toronto. [The Athletic]
• Pavel Datsyuk’s agent said the former Red Wings star isn’t ruling out a return to the NHL next season. [NHL]
• David Pastrnak’s success with the Bruins is inspired by the love of his family. [NHL]
• If you watched ABC’s A Million Little Things, you probably noticed a lot of Bruins cameos and imagery. The show’s creator and executive producer, DJ Nash, is quite the Bruins fan. [The Athletic]