Nelson and Palmieri gave quite the performance in what could’ve been their final games here.
Was that it? It sure seemed like the end for Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri based on how Nelson sounded in his First Star interview with Shannon Hogan and his post-game locker room scrum. And I gotta say, I was getting emotional seeing Brock get emotional.
He is one of my favorite New York Islanders of all time, possibly the favorite. He’s fourth all-time in games played for this franchise and is high up on the offensive record lists, as well. When he came down on a two-on-one with a chance to shoot, he seemed automatic. He was always reliable in the playoffs, the quintessential second-line center with a goal-scoring touch.
I know the prudent thing to do is to trade him, but I don’t have to like it. I’ve gone back and forth on whether I want him to extend here, mostly depending on how the team was doing and where they were in the standings. The playoffs still seem unlikely, and Brock is the belle of the ball in this seller’s market before the trade deadline. He could bring back a lot. But I can’t say I’d be disappointed if he signed an extension to remain an Islander for the rest of his career, and where I was at going into last night’s game, I would’ve said I’d be disappointed in that. I think I have changed my mind again.
At this point, I’m just going to accept what happens. I think the worst-case scenario is that he isn’t traded or signed beyond Friday, but I would still have some hope that the extension would get done eventually. We have about 51 hours until we learn this team’s fate.
And now we wait. (Good thread here.)
Some quick thoughts on this (thread?)
I try to approach my Islanders fandom with logic as best I can, because at the end of the day we’re all rooting for a Stanley Cup, BUT, it does feel like this organization is more special than most non-Islanders fans realize. https://t.co/Oylq14xN5X
— Ethan aka The People’s Insider (@EthanGSN) March 5, 2025
Islanders News
About last night:
- It is classic Brock to show out in what could’ve been his last game, setting up Palmieri’s potential last Islander goal and then scoring his own. [LHH]
- Nelson and Palmieri’s goals were each their 20th of the season; nice that they hit the mark here before their potential moves. [Islanders]
- It did feel like the end, based on how the two of them spoke in the post-game. [Newsday]
- Teams tend to hold out trade assets ahead of the deadline, but there was little doubt that these two would play. [Newsday]
- Their departure would feel like the end of an era, too. [NY Post]
- Nelson hit a bunch of milestones in this potentially last game, too. [NYI Skinny]
Other stuff:
- We didn’t boo the Canadian anthem last night, so that’s good. Of course, there weren’t many of us there. But we did boo when the team didn’t let a patron win the Burger Spotlight because she moved away at the last second, so if we were going to boo, we would’ve been heard. [Newsday]
- The truly prudent thing to do is not just trade Nelson and Palmieri, but possibly guys like Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anders Lee, two guys with an extra year on their deal (two playoff runs for the acquiring team) who are having resurgent seasons. [NY Post]
- Hell, Nelson and Palmieri may go together in the same trade since they have well-documented chemistry. [THN]
- Whatever happens, it appears it’s all Lou’s decision; ownership appears not to have any influence here. [THN]
Elsewhere
Other NHL scores include every other team conceivably in the wild card race that played last night losing in regulation. The Islanders are three points back again, but with many teams still to jump.
- Steven Stamkos has found it “difficult” to cope with the Predators’ struggles this season. [NHL]
- Mathieu Olivier gets a six-year contract from the Blue Jackets. I thought only Lou made silly moves like that! [NHL]
- Emily Kaplan got the same read from Brock’s interview as we all did: it seems like the end. That and more around the deadline. [ESPN]