As it has become increasingly evident over these last few weeks that the Islanders need something more than a quick fix at the trade deadline to leap into contention, a conversation from over the summer has started to play on repeat in my mind.

Bill Murray, a longtime trainer for the Devils when Lou Lamoriello was the general manager there, was talking about the 1996 team, which disappointingly missed the playoffs a year after winning the Stanley Cup.

“[Lamoriello] told me once that there’s no such thing as rebuilding,” Murray said. “I remember him saying that. There’s no such thing as a rebuilding year. He said that’s an excuse. You have to strive for success in every game, every season, everything is striving for the ultimate success. And success in that organization was competing for the Stanley Cup. That was success, that was the only success.”

Indeed, Lamoriello has never piloted a hard rebuild in 37 seasons as an NHL general manager, from New Jersey to Toronto to Long Island. Even if he wanted to do so now, tearing down the Islanders would be an arduous task given how many of their contracts extend more than three years ahead and how many of their players — particularly in the forward group — are on the wrong side of 30. A rebuild is not in the cards. Nor should it be.