Islanders' Lou Lamoriello says change is coming this summer

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Lou Lamoriello understands the urgency for the Islanders to get “younger and better.” The Islanders president/general manager just did not believe that could be done properly prior to Friday’s NHL trade deadline without depleting what he feels is a team that is still a playoff contender.

He did insist, “there will be change this summer.”

In the present, the Islanders moved within three points of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot with a 4-2 win over the NHL-worst Sharks on Saturday night at SAP Center to open their three-game California swing.

“We know we have to do more than what just transpired,” Lamoriello said. “We feel very strongly on that.”

Islanders principal owner Scott Malkin joined Lamoriello for Saturday’s game, though he declined to speak with the media.

Lamoriello traded Brock Nelson — who rejected the Islanders’ final contract extension offer believed to be for three seasons, $22.5 million — along with forward prospect William Dufour to the Avalanche late Thursday night for a healthy haul of a first-round pick in either 2026 or 2027, a conditional third-round pick in 2028, junior hockey forward Calum Ritchie, the 27th pick in 2023, and defenseman Oliver Kylington, who was immediately flipped to the Ducks for future considerations.

Otherwise, Lamoriello’s only other move was to send seldom-used defenseman Dennis Cholowski to the Devils for minor-league forward Adam Beckman.

“If we could have gotten younger and better other than draft picks, we would have done it without question,” Lamoriello said. “We felt where a few of our players are that we could have made moves with, they would be better done at a different time. What we need to infuse in the lineup, those players would be available. Along the way, we tried to look at this season and to not give up in any way.”

The Islanders (29-26-7), who have won two straight and four of five, seem shell-shocked to start without Nelson, giving up 17 of the game’s first 18 shots before Anthony Duclair’s power-play goal made it 1-0 at 10:43 of the first period. Ilya Sorokin made 20 of his 38 saves in the first period as Jean-Gabriel Pageau made it 2-0 at 19:21.

The Islanders last played on Tuesday and coach Patrick Roy acknowledged the mental adjustment to playing without Nelson played a part in the early sluggishness and lack of physicality.

“We expected a slow start,” Roy said. “We needed to be stronger on our battles. We had too many turnovers. And with the news as well, it’s all in play.”

In the third period, defenseman Adam Boqvist added a second power-play goal and Anders Lee also scored.

Alexandar Georgiev made 24 stops for the Sharks (17-39-9).

Newsday reported there was interest around the NHL in Lee and Pageau, with the Hurricanes believed to have made a strong push for Pageau.

Lamoriello did confirm he is actively trying to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent Kyle Palmieri. The belief is the extension would be for either two or three seasons with an annual average value just slightly less than his current $5 million salary-cap hit.

“We would have liked to have kept Brock,” Lamoriello said. “I won’t apologize for that. We made an offer we felt was fair.”

Lamoriello said acquiring Ritchie was important to the Islanders. He said Ritchie, 20, completing his final junior season in the Ontario Hockey League, will not have this season burned on his entry-level contract by joining the Islanders but will attend development camp and training camp in September.

Lamoriello also added he did not believe goalie Semyon Varlamov (lower body/long-term injured reserve) would play again this season and was not sure Mathew Barzal (lower body/LTIR) could return before the end of the regular season.”

Notes & quotes: Pageau added two assists, giving him 200 for his career … Defenseman Scott Mayfield was a healthy scratch for the fourth time in six games … Forward Matt Martin (lower body) was activated off injured reserve in addition to defenseman Mike Reilly, who had been on long-term injured reserve with a heart condition … Goalie Marcus Hogberg (upper body/IR), out since Jan. 25, fully participated in the morning skate, his second straight practice with the team. He could be activated for Sunday night’s game against the Ducks.

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.