The New York Islanders announced they have placed defenseman Thomas Hickey on injured reserve with an upper body injury which he suffered in Saturday’s game against the Boston Bruins. The move is retroactive to Saturday. There is no indication from the Islanders on the severity of the injury, although several reporters at the game pointed out a hit from Boston’s David Backes that could have been the source of the injury. No corresponding move has been made yet.
Hickey has been a full-time player on the Islanders’ defensive depth chart, but has found himself among a bunch of players rotating for the final two spots on the team’s defense. He has played in 21 of the team’s 29 games so far this year, putting up one goal and five assists in 17:29 of ice time.
Hickey’s loss is manageable as other defensemen like Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield and Dennis Seidenberg should be able to step up in his place. With the amount of depth the Islanders possessed, there were rumors the team might look to move a blueliner, possibly even Hickey himself, but Hickey’s injury could delay those plans.
The team also made another move as the team removed Shane Prince from the injured non-roster list and has sent him to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL on a conditioning loan. Prince, who underwent ankle surgery in August was expected to miss four to six months. He is expected to spend a week with Bridgeport. A former second-round pick in 2011, Prince played 50 games for the Islanders last year, putting up five goals and 13 assists.
Same picture as the Boll article