Lou Lamoriello seemed genuinely bewildered by the question.

It was nearly four weeks ago in Tampa, and the Islanders’ general manager had been asked, given how little Semyon Varlamov had played down the stretch, whether looking to trade him at the deadline might have made sense.

He laughed.

“Where did that question come from?” he asked. “It was never even a thought in our mind, I guess is the best way I can answer that question.”