Pondering the playoffs, still nine combined victories away from Islanders-Leafs after Toronto failed to take care of business Sunday:
1. Lou Lamoriello has never by policy moved pending free agents as rental properties at the trade deadline. The Islanders general manager long ago explained he had become accustomed to losing players through graduation during his first life as coach/athletic director at Providence College, so NHL players going free was just a part of the natural order.
He and the Devils had Doug Gilmour leave after the playoffs in 1998, Vladimir Malakhov (obtained as a rental) and Claude Lemieux in 2000, Alexander Mogilny in 2001 and Bobby Holik in 2002.