LAS VEGAS

Mathieu Darche rejoined this Islanders road trip after a side trek to Toronto for the general managers’ meeting earlier this week. By all accounts, it was a low-key gathering.

But perhaps in the quiet moments, Darche had a chance to talk to his fellow GMs and lay some groundwork for future trades, because he will need to make a move or two before the March 6 trade deadline.

The Islanders, 8-6-2 entering Thursday night’s game against Vegas at T-Mobile Arena, are in the middle of a compact and seemingly wide-open Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference. Add another scoring wing and a solid defenseman and they could be one of the conference’s better teams.

“I think since Day One, the GM showed a lot of belief in this group,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau told Newsday after Wednesday

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