Shane Prince has undergone ankle surgery and will be out for four to six months, meaning much of his season is in jeopardy. The New York Islanders forward suffered a high ankle sprain last season and originally tried to rehab without surgery. Six months would have Prince returning in the middle of February.
In an offseason went out and acquired Jordan Eberle to try and increase their offense and return to the playoffs, losing Prince is a disappointing outcome. Though he scored just 18 points last season, it came in 50 games and he’s shown elite offensive ability at the AHL level. He was expected to play a full-time role as a secondary scoring option, but instead those minutes will have to go to someone else.
The Islanders did already have a glut of NHL-ready forwards heading to camp, with Josh Ho-Sang expected to be given a full-time role and the duo of Mathew Barzal and Michael Dal Colle pressing for playing time. The recently signed Stephen Gionta could also play a part in a bottom-six role, if the team feels the younger players aren’t quite ready.