Islanders News: Back at practice, reloaded and ready

The New York Islanders are back at practice yesterday and today, which makes Barry Trotz a happy man. When asked about whether he follows what the division rivals did on the trade deadline, he didn’t play the “we only focus on ourselves” card. Rather, he said, “Absolutely.” In particular, he noted the size added to the Capitals and Penguins.

But the biggest thing for this rare three days between games is that Trotz gets to practice, work the new guys in, get them familiar with the vocabulary. He mentioned how the Isles had difficulty last year when J-G Pageau came in amid virtually zero practice time before the the season shut down.

Islanders News

• On the Islanders Anxiety podcast, Dan and Mike spoke with Arthur Staple to digest the NHL trade deadline and what comes next. They also referenced Christopher Gibson, as one does, [LHH] Look for PTIsles today, too.
• On the No Sleep Till Belmont podcast, Staple discussed the deadline and spoke with breakaway legend Michael Grabner. [Athletic]
• Travis Zajac adds faceoff support to Mathew Barzal’s line, and (as Dan and Mike discussed on the podcast), keeps them from having to put Leo Komarov at center if they suffer an injury like they did in the bubble. [Newsday]
• You know Barry Trotz was happy to get some rare practice time with his crew. Here’s his post-practice chat. (One fun moment: When national media asks about the Pelech-Pulock pair, oh, only a few years after they became a thing, but it elicited some interesting reflections from Trotz on player management strategy.) [Isles video]
• Takeaways from the Islanders at the deadline. [Isles]
• The Sound Tigers had some fun goals but suffered a 5-4 loss to the Wolfpack. [BST | CT Post]
• That makes it a good time for a Prospect Report. [Isles]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Capitals destroying the Flyers, the Rangers shutting out the Devils, and the Leafs and new goalie David Ridditch losing in OT to the Flames, his employer just a few days ago.

You can’t do that to our Carp Lad! Only WE can do that to our Carp Lad! Patrik Laine with an end-to-end, big highlight goal, turning Calvin de Haan into a pylon:

• Will Taylor Hall be a long-term fit, or Tinder swipe (Elliotte Friedman’s words) in Boston? That, and about 30 other thoughts. [Sportsnet]
• The Oilers did not add depth scoring at the deadline. Some of their scribes will insist that depth scoring is not an issue. [Oilers Nation]
• Deadline winners and losers: Your Isles and the other contenders are among the winners. [Sporting News]
• Renting your cap space in exchange for draft picks is a trend that’s here to stay, especially during this flat-cap period. [Athletic]
• The 2021 Memorial Cup has officially been canceled. [TSN]
• Why did Taylor Hall fetch a different return? We’re probably all guilty of saying “If Guy A fetched these, then Guy B should AT LEAST cost this” etc. But also there’s the matter of each team evaluating each player and their roster fit differently. [Athletic]
• Mike mulls whether the Blues are truly emerging from their swoon and can be a legit sleeper pick. [Action Network]