Deja vu All Over Again?

A wry grin flashed across the face of Islanders General Manager Kyle Phillips as he stepped up to the podium.

"Can't say I'm not persistent," he quipped to chuckles from the assembled media.

It was a lighthearted start by the GM to his post-deadline availability, the vibes of a man who has gotten his christmas shopping done early.

Or maybe it was something more like gallows humor from an executive who knows he's tempting fate.

Either way, for the Islanders the 2023 EHE trade deadline is looking similar to the 2022 version—and that's not necessarily a good thing. 

Back then, Phillips made one last blockbuster move in a season already filled with them, acquiring veteran scoring forward TJ Oshie for what seemed to be a sensible package of futures.

The results were, to put it kindly, underwhelming.

Oshie, who had put up 30 goals and 71 points in 66 games for Chicago, tallied a paltry 3 goals and 7 points for his new team as the Isles crashed out of a playoff spot over the final 14 games of the season.

Fast-forward to 2023 and clearly that disaster was on Phillips's mind, with his self-depricating jab referring to the fact that he once again usd the deadline to add—that's right—a veteran scoring forward.

This time around it's Brayden Schenn arriving on Long Island, and obviously the hope is that his contributions down the stretch will outshine those of the since-departed Oshie.

"I mean, there's no hiding from the fact that my deadline moves last season didn't lead to the results we wanted,"  Phillips conceded. "But that's no reason to stop trying to improve the team when the opportunity arises.

"I think the difference is that last year we were asking TJ to elevate our entire team, whereas with Brayden we're just expecting him to complement what's already in place."

To that end, Schenn is expected to anchor a third line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy, two players already having strong seasons, but who should benefit from having a new linemate with both skill and Stanley Cup pedigree.

As for the price paid, acquiring Schenn meant not only shipping second and third round picks plus prospect Brett Harrison to the Coyotes, but also sacrificing breakout winger Jake DeBrusk in order to clear the requisite cap space. (DeBrusk was sent to the St. Louis Blues for a second round pick, a fifth round pick, prospect Francesco Pinelli, and depth forward Rem Pitlick.)

"Yeah, it was a tough decision to move on from Jake, especially with the season he's had and the years of control we sacrificed," admitted Phillips.

"But we felt strongly about what Brayden will bring to our group down the stretch, and we're pretty enthusiastic about adding Francesco Pinelli to our prospect pool. And acquiring a couple of picks to offset the ones we gave up to Arizona was really important to us."

Asked what it would mean if this latest deal also turns out to be a dud, Phillips unsurprisingly made no promises. 

"Really my focus is just on this season and the job ahead of us.

"But don't worry, I'm sure between now and next year you'll have lots to talk about."