Islanders Would ‘Rather Eat Left Leg’ Than Trade Nelson

Those thinking the New York Islanders should cash in on some of their assets over salvaging another season shouldn’t get their hopes up. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts: The Podcast said the front office won’t be hosting a fire sale.

Related: Islanders Can’t Rebuild Even If They Wanted To

“I’m not expecting a sell-off,” the Canadian journalist for Sportsnet said Monday. “There was social media noise around Brock Nelson. I tried to call around to see if there was anything to this or if it was just noise. Someone made a joke to me that Lou Lamoriello (Islanders general manager and president) would rather eat his left leg than trade Brock Nelson.”

Islanders Could Buy

Given the lack of leaks from the Islanders, Friedman isn’t 100 percent sure that the team will be buyers. But they won’t sell as its winning streak, including the dominating win against the Boston Bruins on Saturday (March 2), has something to do with the approach at the deadline now.

But keep in mind, Lamoriello, including his tenure with the Islanders, typically makes at least one buyer move before the trade deadline. Last year, when not in a playoff position, the 81-year-old made a big splash to acquire star center Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks. The organization has been so aggressive that they haven’t had a first-round pick since 2019.

“I think they’re going for it,” Friedman said. “[Lamoriello’s) history is he doubles down. I don’t know if they’re going to add. They’ve been looking for a scorer for some time.”

What The Islanders Should Do

Since the Islanders have a weak prospect pool, it might be tough to give up another first-round pick, which could be used to draft a potential blue-chip young player. Another issue is where they are in the standings. While playoffs are very much realistic for the Islanders, they sit four points out of both the final wild card and Metropolitan Division spot with two games in hand.

On the bright side, the Islanders have gotten some cap relief. That’s because Scott Mayfield is on long-term injury reserve, and will miss 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury. Currently, the organization has $2.4 million in cap space to play with, according to CapFriendly.

But still, the Islanders may want to play it conservatively since they aren’t in a playoff position and have invested a lot of…