Lou Lamoriello did not give off the sense of someone satisfied with how the trade deadline went when he spoke to reporters before the Islanders beat the Sharks 4-2 on Saturday.

The New York Islanders could finally be heading in the right direction under General Manager Lou Lamoriello. On March 6th, the day before the NHL Trade Deadline, he traded forward Brock Nelson and William Dufour to the Colorado Avalanche for prospect Cal Ritchie,

New York Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello had an opportunity to reshape the team’s future at this season’s trade deadline. Of the four players most expected might get moved — Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri,

There’s also the matter of Lamoriello’s loyalty to his crew. He only traded Nelson for that good return because Nelson rebuffed several contract offers, likely in the three-year range. If Lamoriello had his way, no one would have been traded this week and the Islanders would have brought the entire gang back for another go in 2025-26.

The goal of general manager Lou Lamoriello, whose team sits four points out of a wild-card spot, was to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent forwards Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri. Lamoriello was unable to retain Nelson, who reportedly turned down a three-year deal at around $7.5 million annually.

Before puck drop against the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello spoke about his decisions at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, the future, and his injured players.