Insider Says Watch For Talk of Islanders Interest in Dustin Brown

As per a comment from Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts post on Tuesday, expect Lou Lamoriello do potentially do the unexpected. In other words, the names everyone is associating to the New York Islanders prior to the NHL Trade Deadline might not be the names their GM is keying in on.

Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri are names that have been tossed around and in connection to the Islanders who are looking for a forward to replace the injured Anders Lee. That said, Friedman writes:

Lou Lamoriello stealth watch: Dustin Brown. You know the Islanders GM wants to find someone no one has thought of. He’s a righty (injured captain Anders Lee is a lefty), but there are a lot of similarities. Goes to the front of the net, power-play threat.

Friedman does admit there are a couple of potential holes in his theory. First, the Kings are playing meaningful games and as such, it might not be the best idea to consider trading a productive leader and veteran like Brown. Second, even if they weren’t playing meaningful games, it is a given that the Los Angeles Kings would actually want to trade Brown? Friedman writes that he’s incredibly attached to California and would have no desire to go elsewhere.

Another Hole Friedman Neglected to Mention

Brown is not a rental. He’s got another season on his contract after this one at a cost of $5.875 million. The Islanders really only have the cap space they do before this deadline because of Lee’s injury so this isn’t a situation where Lamoriello can just take on salary and not worry about the consequences of that next season.

Not sure where Friedman got this rumor from but it’s one of the few that I don’t see as all that logical. Brown is playing well with 20 points in 29 games, but that’s all the more reason the Kings might elect to keep him.

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