The paradigm governing the Islanders’ decision making has changed with the five-game winning streak they’ll take into Philadelphia on Thursday. Or has it?
After all, even before all the winning really kicked off, Lou Lamoriello said he had not yet thought about being a trade deadline seller. The general manager wanted to see if his team could climb back into the race, and that is just what they have done in winning eight of the past 10 to cut the playoff deficit to four points as of Wednesday morning.
So maybe the paradigm has stayed exactly where it was, including Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri’s expiring contracts, which still hang over things as a question mark.
Never say never, but at this point, it seems unlikely in the extreme that either player is dealt before the 4 Nations break. The Islanders have six games left before the two-week layoff, five of which will come on the road and five of which are against likely playoff teams, representing another test of their playoff mettle.
