Lamoriello Evaluating Islanders After Standing Pat at Trade Deadline

The NHL Trade Deadline came and went on Monday afternoon with the New York Islanders remaining intact.
That's not to say Lou Lamoriello wasn't making and fielding calls, but the Isles President and General Manager didn't feel like the right deal was on the table for his team.
"If we could have gotten better with a trade, we would have done that," Lamoriello said via a conference call after Monday's deadline. "If it appears we are standing pat because we are satisfied, we certainly are not satisfied."

While the Isles did not add any new bodies, as they had in the previous two trade deadlines, they didn't subtract any either. Lamoriello later said he still believes in his core group, who after a turbulent year is back to playing like the team that's made three lengthy playoff runs in the last three seasons. The Islanders were 5-1-1 in their last seven games heading into the trade deadline.

"I certainly like the way our team has played over the last several games," Lamoriello said. "I think this is also going to be an indication of exactly where we are at now that we've gotten [over] all the turbulence that we went through - and I'm not looking for any excuses whatsoever - to see who we are as a team. It'll really give us an indication of what we have to do."
A quick refresher. The Islanders started the season with a franchise-record 13-game road trip, were hit hard by COVID-19 in November and December, lost Brock Nelson, Ryan Pulock and Kyle Palmieri for extended periods due to injury and had numerous games postponed to border closures, COVID protocols and even a blizzard. The schedule hasn't been easy either, going between the extremes of two gaps of 10-or-more days without a game, as well as a stretch with nine games in 15 days.
Things have levelled out since the All-Star break, so Lamoriello is using this stretch to evaluate what his team needs going forward. The Islanders are averaging 3.3 goals per game since the All-Star break, after averaging 2.4 in the first half of the season.
"This will give them a chance to get back to where we think they should be," Lamoriello said. "This is an indication that we believed in the group prior to coming in here, we still believe in it and now we'll find out one way or the other over this period of time before the end of the season."

CLUTTERBUCK AND PARISE RE-SIGN:

While the Islanders didn't make a trade, they did extend Cal Clutterbuck and Zach Parise. Clutterbuck was inked to a two-year deal, while Parise, who arrived via free agency over the summer, signed on for another year. Lamoriello said he was not interested in trading either of the pending unrestricted free agents for picks, as it would open holes on the roster.
"They would be two players we'd have to replace in the role they have," Lamoriello said. "I don't feel that would be able to take place in the summer."
Clutterbuck said he was thrilled to be returning to the organization where he's played 587 games since 2013-14 and has helped forged the organizational identity. Parise, who said he'd initially come close to signing a two-year deal last summer, had expressed his desire to return ahead of the deadline.
Read more about both players here.

CHARA/GREENE WANTED TO STAY:

If Zdeno Chara and Andy Greene wanted to be traded to a Stanley Cup contender at this year's trade deadline, Lamoriello would have accommodated the request for a pair of well-respected veteran defensemen.
The lines of communication were open, but the blueliners expressed their desire to finish out the season with the Islanders. Chara has nine assists and 75 PIMs in 51 games with the Isles this season after arriving as a free agent over the summer, while Greene has nine points (2G, 7A) in 49 games this season, his third with the Isles since arriving via trade in Feb. 2020.
"There certainly was an expression that they wanted to remain here for the rest of the season," Lamoriello said. "Both felt they made a commitment to the team, and unless I could get a high-end asset that would make us much better, they'd hope that would be looked at. That's exactly what the end result was."
Lamoriello said both players have played a role in the development of Noah Dobson, who has set career-highs in goals (10), assists (26) and points (36) this season.

VARLAMOV IMPORTANT TO ISLANDERS:

The Islanders strength and depth in goal was one thing Lamoriello wanted to keep intact on Monday, despite the fact that Semyon Varlamov garnered "a lot of attention" around the league.
The veteran goaltender has one year left on his contract after this season and has played much better than his 5-12-2 record indicates. Varlamov is 2-0-1 in his last three starts, with a 2.27 GAA and a .930 SV% and has been alternating starts with Ilya Sorokin during the busiest stretch of the season for the Islanders.
"He's very important to our team, he's very important to our goaltending," Lamoriello said of Varlamov, who tied a team record with seven shutouts a year ago. "He's very important to the growth and maturity of Ilya Sorokin."
Lamoriello said goaltending was not one of the areas the Islanders were looking to improve around the deadline or going into the summer and that he does not like to give up quality netminders.
"Everybody is always looking for goaltenders and you don't give up a goaltender to make another position better and make a bigger hole," Lamoriello said. "You can make all the splashes in the world, but you have to look at the big picture and not just today, but tomorrow, which comes quickly."