Nation Notebook: Islanders Belmont Arena gets Approved

The New York Islanders are getting a new arena. Derek Brassard could be an interest trade candidate if Ottawa wants to shed salary. Dallas has a decision to make with Tyler Seguin in the next year. P.K. Subban still wonders why he was traded. Petr Mrazek could be an interesting buy-low candidate for teams that need a goalie.

The Islanders Belmont arena project is approved. Fans won’t have to worry about relocation rumors and obstructed seats for much longer. This should help convince John Tavares to stay, although he said it’s not going to change anything at this point, but you’d have to think it doesn’t hurt. Both Tavares and Josh Bailey are second and fourth in league scoring. Both are going to get paid.

In his latest 31 Thoughts piece, Elliotte Friedman speculates about Derek Brassard among other players. Friedman mentions Columbus with the John Tortorella connection, and Pittsburgh as possible destinations. Both would make sense as the Blue Jackets were played Nick Foligno at center at one point in the season, and the Penguins always want a deeper third-line center option than most teams, especially considering their recent slump.

Dallas Stars beat writer Mike Heika did a live chat and discussed Tyler Seguin and his contract situation. Seguin has one more year on his contract after this one and then he’s a free agent. The common thought is they’d throw a bunch of money at him this summer and extend him early, but that might not be the case. Heika says it depends on his success in the playoffs. If he succeeds, they’ll sign him. If not, trading him before or during the following season could be a very real possibility.

P.K. Subban isn’t over being traded by Montreal. The Montreal Gazette’s Brendan Kelly dives into the controversial trade in conversation with the star defenceman. Subban tells Kelly he never got an explanation for the trade, and he can’t explain it himself. He’s also still dedicated to his charitable endeavors while in Montreal, despite the trade. Although, Montreal taking Shea Weber’s contract for P.K. Subban feels sort of like charity itself. Eight more years of Shea Weber? Wow.

The Athletic’s Craig Custance discusses Petr Mrazek and teams that might be interested in the struggling netminder. The 25-year old goalie hasn’t had success the past two seasons and makes quite a bit of money. Still, Detroit can retain salary and other teams can simply not qualify him at the end of the season. His 94 games prior to these past two seasons were very good, so it’s possible he could turn it around in a new city. The Islanders, Oilers, Panthers, and Penguins all need the help in net.