The New York Islanders are back at practice yesterday and today, which makes Barry Trotz a happy man. When asked about whether he follows what the division rivals did on the trade deadline, he didn’t play the “we only focus on ourselves” card. Rather, he said, “Absolutely.” In particular, he noted the size added to the Capitals and Penguins.
But the biggest thing for this rare three days between games is that Trotz gets to practice, work the new guys in, get them familiar with the vocabulary. He mentioned how the Isles had difficulty last year when J-G Pageau came in amid virtually zero practice time before the the season shut down.