Andy Sutton is out the door, off to Ottawa for a second-round pick.
The question for the Islanders is: Who’s next?
Goalie Rick DiPietro, placed on injured reserve after experiencing swelling in his surgically repaired left knee on Monday, is out indefinitely, with more news expected today. But that doesn’t figure to stop general manager Garth Snow from trying to move Dwayne Roloson or Martin Biron — or one of his other tradable assets — before today’s 3 p.m. deadline.
Roloson, for his part, had a good audition in front of the Blackhawks last night, making 41 saves in the Isles’ 5-3 win.
Though the Isles once again look like sellers, Snow said he is not ready to give up on the season.
“We got younger on the blue line,” Snow said after he traded Sutton, 34, for the pick, which originated in San Jose, and recalled Dustin Kohn to take Sutton’s place on the blue line. “But we’re ready to make some hay. We’re still in the thick of the playoff race.”
Even if that is true, the Isles have to hope better days are ahead of them. In the future, they would like to be bringing in an experienced player at the deadline for a playoff push instead of stockpiling draft picks.
“If you’re buying, you’re pretty confident that your situation is good as far playoffs are concerned,” coach Scott Gordon said before the victory, which featured Blake Comeau’s first career hat trick. “It’s not where we wanted to be coming out of the break, but we’re not that far off. We put together a pretty good run earlier in season. We’re capable of doing it.”
And Gordon said he does not expect the team’s effort to change.
“In it or not in it . . . we still are in a position where we control our own destiny if we put together a string of games,” Gordon said. “Just because a trade has been made doesn’t mean our season is over and we’re not gonna try anymore.”
The Isles appear ready to build for the future, though Snow would not rule out making a move to improve this year’s team. If last night ends up being Roloson’s last game with the Isles, it was a very strong showing.
“Personally, I’ve been through it I don’t know how many times,” Roloson said of the impending deadline. “If it happens, it happens. You deal with it.”
Now it’s up to Snow to see what deals can be had.
