Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, speaking on Monday's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, clarified that while Dobson isn’t widely available, the Islanders have had “specific” trade talks that may have involved moving him under the right circumstances.

The Islanders must trade Noah Dobson at the deadline amid a defensive overhaul that could lead to a massive deal.

It's not a secret that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Winnipeg Jets are looking at any possible way to upgrade their current roster in hopes of winning a Stanley Cup, and with recent reports of New York Islanders dangling defenseman Noah Dobson in the trade market,

The exact time frames for Noah Dobson, Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield to return aren’t known, but Dobson and Pulock — whose time frames are longer — are expected to begin skating during the 4 Nations break, with Mayfield having been described as day to day heading into the two-week layoff.

The Islanders are changing their trade deadline priorities, looking to move Noah Dobson while extending Brock Nelson.

According to RG, the Islanders are shopping Dobson: Dobson is currently on long-term injured reserve after sustaining a lower-body injury on Jan. 4. Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said he could return to the ice during the latter part of the upcoming two-week break, but there is no timetable for when he will be game-ready.

The Islanders need an elite scorer and should target Canucks center Elias Pettersson at the trade deadline to fill that void.

All that, and the Islanders are right where they’ve always been. There was supposed to be some clarity by now on what this team is, and thus which direction it should go at the trade deadline in a month.