Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Photo courtesy of Kevin Kane/KK images)
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — The NHL trade deadline is on Friday and the New York Islanders could conceivably take either fork in the road of being a buyer or seller.
A team that had underachieved through nearly the first 70% of the season is on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture looking in. They have some sizable contracts that they could try to move for draft capital and cap relief with an eye on re-tooling for 2024-25.
“I think everyone wants to be better,” veteran center Jean-Gabriel Pageau told amNewYork. “I wish I could’ve been better at the start of the year.”
Despite their struggles, however, a three-game win streak that featured a 5-1 beatdown of one of the best teams in hockey, the Boston Bruins, on Saturday night has the Islanders sitting just five points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division and the playoff spot that comes with it.
They’ve begun to show consistent promise under head coach Patrick Roy, now at the job for six weeks after Lane Lambert was dismissed in late January, which means president and GM Lou Lamoriello could stay the course with the team he has or even look to make a deal to bolster his ranks.
“I think everyone in the locker room is kind of focused on that right now,” Pageau said. “We’re on a good streak we’re feeling good, and we want to keep climbing. That’s the main focus. To be honest, we don’t talk about [the trade deadline].”
Pageau particularly has stayed off social media as his name once again has been mentioned in trade rumors considering his $5 million cap hit is on the books through the 2025-26 season.
“I’m sure my name is up there,” he said. “It’s there every year. I try not to focus on that right now. I’m proud to be an Islander and we’re trying to win games here, so that’s our focus right now.”
It’s the kind of philosophy that most of his…
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