Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - An yi manyan abubuwan saye-saye na ma'aikata guda uku kafin kakar 2001-02, Laviolette na farko. An sayi Alexei Yashin daga Ottawa Senators a musayar Bill Muckalt, mai kare Zdeno Chara da kuma na biyu na 'yan tsibirin a shekarar 2001
Ka yi haƙuri. Bayan haka, an yi musayar 'yan wasan Islanders Tim Connolly da Taylor Pyatt zuwa Buffalo Sabres a musayar Michael Peca, wanda ya zama kyaftin din kungiyar. Ta hanyar kammala tare da mafi munin rikodin a kakar da ta gabata, mai tsaron gida na Detroit Red Wings Chris Osgood shi ne ƙari na gaba, wanda aka ɗauka a matsayin zaɓi na farko a cikin watan Satumbar 2001, yana ƙara tsohon mai tsaron gidan gasar cin kofin Stanley ba tare da ya ba da kowane ɗan wasa ba. The additions tabbatar da su zama babban taimako, kamar yadda tawagar bude kakar tare da 9<unk>0<unk>1<unk>1 rikodin, mafi kyau a franchise tarihi. Sun gama kakar wasa tare da sabbin rikodin da aka karya; maki 96 da suka samu ya zama na huɗu mafi girma a cikin shekara guda a tarihin gasar (maki 44 sama da kakar da ta gabata), yayin da Osgood ya fara farawa 66 ya zarce rikodin Billy Smith na 65. A lokacin gasar cin kofin Stanley ta 2002, sun kasance na biyar kuma sun fuskanci Toronto Maple Leafs na hudu. Mutanen tsibirin sun rasa a cikin jerin zagaye na farko a cikin wasanni bakwai; ƙungiyar gida ta lashe kowane wasa na jerin. Musamman, Wasan 5 ya nuna Gary Roberts yana cajin mai tsaron gida na Islander Kenny Jonsson, kuma Darcy Tucker ya mamaye Peca tare da binciken da ake tambaya wanda ya tsage kyaftin din na gaba na kyaftin din Islander, yana fitar da 'yan wasan biyu don wasan karshe na jerin. Halin da ke tsakanin Tucker da Peca ya haifar da ɗan fushin, tare da hasashen cewa Tucker ya yi niyyar cutar da Peca kafin wasan ya fara, wanda Tucker ya musanta.