SUNRISE, Fla. — If this Islanders season ends the way it is currently trending, on April 17 with a second season failing to make the playoffs out of three since the move to UBS Arena, the pathway there will have begun 24 months ago.

That may not have been the first time Lou Lamoriello used the words, “We believe in the group,” but it certainly was the first he said them in the face of a disappointing season that caused many outside of the organization to question whether the Islanders should break up the group.

There never has been a point at which a full-blown rebuild appeared to be an easy option for the Islanders, but the 2022 trade deadline was a moment when a retool at least appeared to be an option of sorts.

Cal Clutterbuck, Zach Parise, Zdeno Chara and Andy Greene all were on expiring deals.