from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

- ... If Lamoriello is going to change the dynamic, the guy to sacrifice is 32-year-old Brock Nelson, who has been nothing but an exemplary Islander and representative of the franchise over his 11 seasons. The 6-foot-4 center backed up 37- and 36-goal seasons with 34 this year, recorded four points (2-2) in the Carolina series and should have value as a full-season rental before his contract with a $6M cap hit expires at the end of the season.

Moving Nelson allows Barzal and Horvat to play the middle. It creates additional cap space. And it changes the dynamic.

That is a requirement. It doesn’t matter whether or not Lamoriello and the Islanders have been looking back the last few years, the NHL has been gaining on them.

Same old, same old that wasn’t quite good enough before surely isn’t going to be good enough going forward....

- You’ve got to hand it to the Sabres, right, 13 straight years out of the playoffs and they go back to the guy who was behind the bench when this all started in the first place, romanticizing a 16-year era in which they did not win the Stanley Cup with Lindy Ruff. Five of Ruff’s last seven teams did not make the playoffs.

Makes perfect sense.

To no one.

more on the first topic plus other notes...