Isles deal only Brian Rolston, Mike Mottau

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Islanders stumbled into Monday's trade deadline, which made more than a few players wonder if they'd be on the move.

As it turned out, general manager Garth Snow made only one relatively minor swap, sending veterans Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau to the Bruins for two lightly regarded prospects.

Snow resisted the temptation to shed any of the regulars who will become unrestricted free agents this summer, with P.A. Parenteau at the top of that list. Parenteau, having a superb season with 58 points, is looking for a big payday. Snow listened to offers Monday but did not get the first-round pick plus a prospect he was seeking; there wasn't even an offer of a first-round pick for Parenteau, never mind the prospect part.

"We're not out of it, but we're not where we expected to be after we'd played some good hockey," Parenteau said of the Isles' playoff hopes. "We've got some guys playing good hockey. We need everyone. And I never wanted to go anywhere else."

Snow fielded calls on defensemen Milan Jurcina, Mark Eaton and Steve Staios, center Marty Reasoner and backup goaltender Al Montoya. All but Reasoner will be UFAs in July, and each could have fetched a low- to mid-round draft pick if Snow had been willing to deal. He wasn't. "We weren't ready to just get rid of players," he said. "We're eight points out of the playoffs and we want to try and get there."

Rolston's and Mottau's situations were different. Rolston was placed on waivers Saturday, signaling the end of his rocky season with the Isles. He had four goals and nine points in 49 games, looking very much like a 39-year-old with more than 1,200 games under his belt.

Mottau, who turns 34 next month, had two assists in 29 games and would have been down on the defense depth chart when Dylan Reese (sprained MCL) returns shortly. Both veterans will get a chance to play for a Stanley Cup with Boston.

The Isles got back undrafted defenseman Marc Cantin, 21, and AHL forward Yannick Riendeau, 23. Cantin was a junior teammate of Casey Cizikas and is viewed as a bit of a project, but with some upside.

Snow's focus will go back to Evgeni Nabokov; he said he'll resume contract talks with agent Don Meehan in the coming days. Talks with Parenteau's agent, Allan Walsh, may wait a bit longer but are a priority.

With the unease surrounding the trade deadline now past, there are no more distractions. "They've got to find a way," Jack Capuano said. "This isn't tough. Going to a children's hospital, that's tough. This is a game in the toughest league in the world. Every single shift, you should be giving everything you have."