Islanders' Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri focused on playing better with trade deadline, free agency looming

Patrick Roy was a pending unrestricted free agent when the Hall of Fame goalie forced a trade from the Canadiens on Dec. 6, 1995, and ultimately led his new team, the Avalanche, to the Stanley Cup in 1996. He then signed a three-year, $14 million deal to stay with Colorado.

“The moral of the story is, when the team wins, good things happen,” the now-Islanders coach said before his team concluded a home-and-home with the Maple Leafs on Thursday night at UBS Arena looking to snap a two-game losing streak.

The topic of performing during a contract season was broached specifically with regard to Brock Nelson, though it also applies to Kyle Palmieri. Both top-six forwards are pending UFAs, and the likelihood they will be traded before the March 7 deadline seemingly grows in direct relation to the Islanders slipping further from playoff contention.

Palmieri entered Thursday’s game third on the team in scoring with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists). Nelson, his linemate, was fifth with 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists).

But, uncharacteristically, the steady Nelson had gone without a goal in his previous 15 games dating to Nov. 27.

“It’s different for everybody,” Palmieri said when asked about the task of separating the business side of hockey from the actual games. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Brock away from the ice. I don’t think it’s that. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves, having played together on a line for a while now, to make an impact every night. I think both of us can do a better job of that. The outside stuff is really stuff you try to leave out there.”

But there’s also little doubt that Nelson, concluding a six-year, $36 million deal, and Palmieri, at the end of a four-year, $20 million contract, would be among the most attractive trade rental options for playoff contenders. Moving them could help president/general manager Lou Lamoriello start to restock the threadbare organizational depth.

Of course, trying to re-sign one or both also is an option.

Palmieri, from Smithtown, will turn 34 next month.

Nelson, who played his 879th game on Thursday and is fifth on the Islanders’ all-time list, will turn 34 at the start of next season. If he stays, he has a chance to become the fourth to play 1,000 games for the Islanders.

“Your play and contract is correlated,” Nelson said. “But at the same time, it’s separate and you learn to focus on your play. For me, I’m just trying to find my game, raise it, get on a roll. Anything beyond that, outside of playing, is just something that is not really worth the time or the energy to really think about. Human nature definitely comes to mind, but the main thing is trying to find your game here and try to play.

“I do still think that we can get on a roll and get some wins and string them together. It’s the business side of it that I let everybody else do all the projecting.”

Nelson did put the puck in the net for the apparent opening goal in the Islanders’ 6-3 win over the visiting Penguins on Saturday. But the Penguins successfully challenged that Anthony Duclair interfered with goalie Tristan Jarry.

Roy said he had hoped that play would kick-start Nelson’s goal production.

“I probably still need to be a little bit better, but there’s times when I’ve had [chances], a couple of looks,” Nelson said. “It’s been a month. I’d like to get the puck in the back of the net and get rolling and be a line that you can count on offensively to help us get over the hump.”

Notes & quotes: Goalie Sem-yon Varlamov (lower body/ long-term injured reserve), who has not played since Nov. 29, resumed skating on Thursday. Roy reported Varlamov did not face any shots. Ilya Sorokin started for the 13th time in the last 14 games . . . Defenseman Mike Reilly (heart condition/LTIR), out since suffering a concussion on Nov. 1, was on the ice with teammates before the team’s morning skate but did not participate in the practice . . . Forward Simon Holmstrom (upper body/day-to-day) missed his second game . . . Defenseman Dennis Cholowski and forward Matt Martin remained healthy scratches.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.