With the exception of the Stanley Cup playoffs, this time of year is without a doubt the most fun time of the season for any hockey fan and/or blogger. Although those games are intense and fun to watch, the anticipation involved in deadline deals and rumor swapping on the web is filled up with so much hype and intrigue that many fans consider it a personal holiday.

So far the Islanders have dealt the 6'6 defenseman, Andy Sutton to the Ottawa Senators for a 2nd round pick. Like the Comrie/Campoli deal, the pick involved was originally San Jose's, making this a late second round selection.

I purposely did not put an "equals" sign at the end of that equation for two reasons. One - I was never good at math and definitely do not plan on solving it or using any algorithm's where I can substitute numbers to come up with an answer; Two - because the end result is yet to be determined, and although DP and KO are not part of this year's winter Olympics, I still hope to see USA achieve gold.

Many Islander fans were hoping to see Kyle Okposo make the USA Olympic roster this year.

An Islander forward last night, making his NHL debut, had an immediate impact with each shift he took in the Islanders first win in the past 8 games. Could it have been a case of first-time nerves and adrenaline working it's magic to help the youngster provide the spark this team needs? Possibly. But what we might also be seeing is the toughness and grit this team has lacked all season long, and if his game stays at the same level of intensity that it was played at last night, he may stick around for a while.