RALEIGH, N.C. — The goal can no longer be just to hang around.
Not now that Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech are back in the lineup, with Anthony Duclair soon to follow. Not now, 32 games into a season over which the Islanders have strung together a disappointing 12-13-7 record.
The Islanders are on an 80-day clock until the March 7 trade deadline, and if the best they can do until then is stick around NHL .500 and be in the mix for a wholly underwhelming Eastern Conference wild-card race, there is not much choice other than to become sellers.
This is the fourth straight season in which Lou Lamoriello has stuck with and attempted to bolster the same core group that has not won a playoff series since 2021. The Islanders can point to injuries as a reason for their record and the standings — they may have just 12 wins in 32 games but are also only a point out of a playoff spot — as a reason to still have optimism they can do more this time.
