NHL trade deadline 2024 grades and live updates: Analysis of every deal and latest news

The Islanders are the hottest team in the league right now, winning five straight. As Lou Lamoriello noted Friday: “We have everything in our own hands, which is what you want.”

Whether you're buying what Lamoriello is selling about this year's Islanders, who have put together one of the silliest seasons in recent memory, with the 17 blown two- and three-goal leads, the 22-of-62 games they've spent regulation, the lack of a goal into an empty goal until match N0. 57, the historically bad penalty, it's up to you. Lamoriello had a rare quiet deadline, with no transactions made on a day when Isles teams seeking a playoff berth were sellers, buyers and, in some cases, both.

Lamoriello said he would have given up his first-round pick in June (after all, the water is still wet), but he didn't find anything worth doing so. There was also apparently nothing worth doing to complement a roster that has been good, bad, exciting and infuriating this season, depending on the day.

“You don't pay attention to what other people are doing,” Lamoriello said. “Sometimes the best trade you make, when you have a side situation, you always lean towards the people you know. We have to consider team chemistry. That is extremely important. There are no thoughts about what other people are doing.”

So while the Penguins sold, the Caps held tight, the Lightning added, and the Flyers and Devils did a little of both, the Islanders are keeping the band together.