- The New York Islanders will still be light on the blue line with Andrew Gross of Newsday reporting defensemen Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly won’t re-enter the lineup tonight. Both blue-liners haven’t played since the team’s November 1st game against the Buffalo Sabres as they’re both nursing injuries. Tonight marks the third game without the pair and the Islanders have surrendered eight total games in the two games without Romanov and Reilly.
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Islanders Rumors
Islanders Recall Isaiah George
The Islanders have recalled defenseman Isaiah George from AHL Bridgeport, per the NHL’s media site (hat tip to Stefen Rosner of NHL.com/The Hockey News). It’s the first-ever NHL recall for the 20-year-old, who could make his NHL debut tonight against the Penguins.
George replaces Samuel Bolduc on the active roster. Bolduc, 23, was summoned from Bridgeport before Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Rangers after the club lost defensemen Adam Pelech, Mike Reilly and Alexander Romanov to injuries in their win over the Sabres on Friday. However, Bolduc played just 5:56 against the Rangers, posting a -1 rating, and was returned to Bridgeport yesterday. The organization evidently doesn’t view him as a legitimate NHL option for now after he played a career-high 34 games last year, so George comes up to get his first chance at NHL minutes.
George, a left-shot defender, was a fourth-round pick (98th overall) in 2022. He spent the following two seasons finishing out his junior career with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League before making his professional debut with Bridgeport this season. The “effortless puck-carrier,” as described by Elite Prospects, has a goal and an assist with a -1 rating through his first four games with the Baby Isles.
For now, Romanov remains day-to-day with the upper-body injury that’s cost him four of the Islanders’ last five games. He skated alongside Noah Dobson in line rushes in practice yesterday, though, per Denis P. Gorman of Newsday. He appears likely to play tonight, but if he can’t go, George will slot into the lineup with Ryan Pulock and Dennis Cholowski ahead of him on the Islanders’ left defense depth chart.
George only played three junior seasons instead of the typical four prior to aging out, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out what would have been his rookie campaign with London. He still totaled 19 goals, 56 assists, 75 points, 100 PIMs, and a +72 rating in 189 appearances for the Knights. He posted career-highs across the board last season with 24 assists, 30 points, and a +26 rating before adding 12 points in 18 playoff games as London won the OHL championship. He’s still in the first year of his entry-level contract, so he isn’t eligible for restricted free agency until 2027.
New York Islanders Reassign Samuel Bolduc
According to a team announcement, New York Islanders’ defensive prospect Samuel Bolduc is headed back to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders after only one game in the NHL. The former 57th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft had the opportunity for more playing time in New York with injuries to Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly. Still, he was unable to capture a consistent spot in the lineup.
Bolduc was largely invisible in the team’s loss against the New York Rangers last night. He skated in 5:56 of the action but was kept off the stat sheet entirely aside from producing a -1 rating. The demotion to the AHL seemed inevitable, as was evident in head coach Patrick Roy’s comments after the game. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News captured the quote of Roy saying, “It’s sad. Those things happen, but Sam [Bolduc] needs to be better if he wants to play in the NHL. He’s got to understand [that] and step up. He’s a good hockey player. He’s got all the tools. Now, he just needs to figure it out. But he needs to be better if he wants to play for us“.
The young defenseman now finds himself in a difficult position. He’s been solid offensively throughout his tenure in the AHL with 20 goals and 62 points in 151 games over the last five seasons. Unfortunately, he has still not taken adequate steps in the right direction with his play on the defensive side of the puck prohibiting him from becoming a full-time member of the Islanders. The clock is ticking on his time as a top prospect in New York’s system and he has yet to inspire much confidence in the organization’s coaching staff.
The move also suggests the Islanders’ are more willing to play down a man on defense than give Bolduc any meaningful playing time. Stefen Rosner reported earlier that Romanov and Rielly are still considered day-to-day meaning they may only have five tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Still, there is some hope Romanov can return tomorrow giving New York some confidence they’ll be able to deploy a complete blue line.
Islanders Looking To Add Left Defense Amid Injuries
Injury ruled out all three of the New York Islanders’ starting left-defensemen in their loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday. And while both Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly are only listed as day-to-day, Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News shares that the absences could push New York to add more defensive depth via waivers or trade. Rosner points out that the move would be similar to the Islanders’ acquisition of Robert Bortuzzo and Reilly.
The Islanders are once again in a very difficult spot because of injuries to their blue-line. It’s the same spot that held them back last season, and their only response this season has so far been sheltered roles for Dennis Cholowski, Samuel Bolduc, and Grant Hutton. The depleted blue-line is only propped up by star Ryan Pulock, who’s had to take on a role playing on his off-side. But his 30 minutes of ice time on Sunday is unsustainable – and the holes in the lineup have shown that more support is quickly needed to keep the left-side afloat.
New York won’t find much help on a free agent market crowded with right-defenders but depleted of left-shots. Mark Giordano stands as perhaps the top option. He skated as the NHL’s oldest player last season but has expressed interest in playing out one more season. He managed a measly nine points in 46 games with Toronto last year, serving in an often inconsistent role. But despite changing responsibilities, Giordano showed a routine ability to move the puck up the ice – even as he seemed slow elsewhere. He won’t bring too much of a spark, but could man a depth role without needing much oversight.
For more of a kick, New York will have to turn towards a currently dried-up trade market. Cheap and quick acquisitions could sit a the bottom of some NHL depth charts. That’s presently where Jake Bean, John Ludvig, and Brendan Smith slot into their respective lineups – and all three stand to bring the same impact of the Bortuzzo and Reilly acquisitions last year. They’re each on a new team this year – Bean and Smith choosing their landing spots in unrestricted free agency, and Ludvig landing in Colorado via waivers. It’s a trio that brings a spectrum of abilities – Bean the offensive-defenseman and Smith the shutdown depth-role, with Ludvig finding his footing in between. Those similarities could be the perfect mix to both pique the interest of both parties in potential trade talks. New York similarly bought Bortuzzo and Reilly from the bottom of depth charts last season, and will need the same confident trading if they want to bring in support quickly.
With waivers mentioned alongside trades, it’s not likely that the Islanders spend much on any new pieces. But their season is slipping quickly, with star Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair also catching the injury bug alongside multiple defenders. The Islanders boast a 4-6-2 record through 12 games, second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division. They’ll hope to be aggressive on any imminent waiver placements, but general manager Lou Lamoriello may need to take the initiative to make a trade before things fall too far.
Islanders’ Mike Reilly, Alexander Romanov Out With Injury
The New York Islanders have designated both Mike Reilly (upper-body) and Alexander Romanov (upper-body) as day-to-day with injury per NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner. Both players will miss the Islanders’ bout with the Rangers on Sunday.
New York’s defense will be cut in half for their rivalry matchup, with Adam Pelech also sitting out with an upper-body injury. That news doesn’t bode well for an Islanders team currently leaning on their ability to suppress chances. The team ranks eighth in the NHL with an average of 2.91 goals against per game, while starter Ilya Sorokin boasts the third-highest save percentage (.928) of any goalie with five or more starts. Unfortunately, the Rangers rank higher in both categories – with the lowest goals-against average of any team (2.20) and Igor Shesterkin boasting the second-highest save percentage (.931) among starters.
Dennis Cholowski stepped into the lineup to relieve Pelech, so far scoring one goal – his first NHL goal since 2020 – in three appearances. With two more pillars falling, the Islanders are expected to slot Samuel Bolduc and Grant Hutton back into the lineup. Both started the season with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, with Bolduc sitting on one goal and five points and Hutton recording two assists through the team’s first nine games. The duo were also both features of New York’s revolving door on defense last season. Bolduc appeared in 34 games and scored six points in the year’s second half, while Hutton slotted into just two NHL games and failed to score.
With New York’s entire left-side now missing, the left-shot Bolduc should prove the better fill-in while Hutton may be forced to take shifts on his off-side. The Islanders have sheltered Cholowski in his trio of starts while boosting the ice time of Scott Mayfield and Reilly, before the latter left with injury. Bolduc and Hutton should help to soften that burden on New York’s star defenders, though the team will certainly be eager for the return of more reliable options in Reilly and Romanov.
Islanders Place Mathew Barzal On LTIR, Announce Several Roster Moves
The Islanders had some injuries in last night’s victory over Buffalo and it has necessitated some roster moves. The team announced (Twitter link) that blueliners Grant Hutton and Samuel Bolduc were recalled from AHL Bridgeport. To make room on the roster and to keep the team cap-compliant, Adam Pelech was placed on injured reserve while Mathew Barzal was placed on LTIR. Meanwhile, blueliners Mike Reilly and Alexander Romanov are listed as day-to-day with upper-body injuries.
Barzal recently sustained an upper-body injury that caused him to leave the team’s current road trip for more evaluation. That testing has revealed that he’ll miss the next four to six weeks, making him LTIR-eligible as he’ll clearly miss the next ten games and 24 days. Last year, the 27-year-old recorded his first 80-point season since his rookie campaign but he hasn’t been able to maintain that level of production in the early going this season, notching just two goals and three assists in his first ten outings. Nonetheless, his absence will still be a significant one for a team that’s already one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL through the first month of the season.
Pelech, meanwhile, was injured versus the Sabres and will carry the same timeline as Barzal for his upper-body injury. With Barzal and his $9.15MM AAV landing on LTIR, there’s no need for them to move Pelech there at this time despite being eligible as they’ll have ample spending room using Barzal’s money. It’s now the third straight year that the 30-year-old will miss significant time due to injury, hardly the ideal spot for one of New York’s most important blueliners. Pelech is averaging over 20 minutes per game in the early going, a mark he has reached in each of the last five seasons. He has four assists, 12 blocks, and 17 hits in 11 outings so far.
As for the recalls, Hutton is in the third and final season of a one-way deal that pays $775K per season. Despite the NHL salary, he has spent the bulk of this deal in the minors, suiting up just twice with the big club over the past two years. This season, the 29-year-old has two assists in nine AHL contests. Bolduc, on the other hand, is more familiar to the coaching staff as he played in 34 games with New York last season but still went unclaimed on waivers last month. He’s making $800K this season on a one-way deal and has five points in his first nine AHL games of the season.
Reilly was also injured against Buffalo and was in enough distress that a stretcher was brought out. While he was able to exit the ice with some help without the stretcher, he obviously didn’t return to the game. Romanov was also banged up in that one but was able to return. With the recalls, New York now has six healthy defenders on the roster which suggests they’re hopeful that either Reilly or Romanov will be able to return in short order.
Pelech And Reilly Injured On Friday
- The Islanders picked up the win in Buffalo on Friday night but it came as a price as Ethan Sears of the New York Post relays that defensemen Mike Reilly and Adam Pelech both left the game with injuries while Alexander Romanov, who just came back from injury, was also banged up. Reilly hit his head on the ice in the second period while Pelech was seen holding his jaw after the game. The Isles only have seven blueliners on the active roster so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them recall someone from AHL Bridgeport, especially since they have a bit of short-term cap flexibility with Anthony Duclair on LTIR.
Mathew Barzal Leaves Road Trip, Being Evaluated For Upper-Body Injury
The Islanders announced Friday that star forward Mathew Barzal has left their road trip and has returned to New York to be evaluated for an upper-body injury. The club will announce a return timeframe in the next few days after he meets with doctors.
Things keep shifting from bad to worse for the Isles, who have dropped three straight and are now last in the Metropolitan Division with a 3-5-2 record. However, they do have games in hand on the sixth-place Flyers and seventh-place Penguins, both of whom they trail by one point. Their league-worst 2.10 goals per game is the major culprit of their struggles, though, and Barzal’s absence certainly won’t help.
It had been an underwhelming start to the season for Barzal, now in his ninth season on Long Island, before sustaining the injury. It’s unclear when it occurred – he logged a whopping 22:46 of ice time against the Blue Jackets in Wednesday’s shutout loss. But he’s been limited to two goals and three assists in 10 appearances with a -3 rating, a rate of production that’s been sliced in half from last year’s point-per-game showing. He’s averaging 2.3 shots on goal per game, down from 3.0 last season. His possession numbers are still substantial, even if his partnership with Bo Horvat on the team’s first line hasn’t been gelling after new linemate Anthony Duclair landed on LTIR with a leg injury last week.
Simon Holmström had been a fixture as the top-line left wing alongside Barzal and Horvat since Duclair’s injury. That experiment will end with Barzal out as the Islanders turn to their veterans for more offense. Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau will move up from middle-six roles to flank Horvat on the first line tonight against the Sabres, reports Andrew Gross of Newsday. After sitting as a healthy scratch for three straight, Oliver Wahlstrom will re-enter the lineup.
However, the Isles’ injury situation is not all bad. Head coach Patrick Roy told reporters, including Stefen Rosner of NHL.com and The Hockey News, that defenseman Alexander Romanov will be a game-time decision but will likely return after missing three games with an upper-body injury. He’ll return to his top-pairing role with Noah Dobson – the duo has controlled 51.4% of expected goals when deployed together this season, per MoneyPuck. Romanov, 24, had two assists in seven games before exiting the lineup.
Alexander Romanov Considered Day-To-Day, Out Tonight
- The New York Islanders will be without defenseman Alexander Romanov for the second straight game. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports Romanov is still considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury from one of the team’s recent games against the New Jersey Devils. There hasn’t been any indication up to this point that Romanov will be able to dress in tomorrow night’s action against the Columbus Blue Jackets, either.
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Evening Notes: Martin, Colton, Wood, Rust
Matt Martin’s recently signed one-year deal with the New York Islanders will pay him a prorated salary of $775K for the season (as per PuckPedia). Martin’s deal is a one-way contract with an AAV of $875K, meaning he will make $775K in the AHL or NHL. The contract also includes a $100K bonus if the 35-year-old plays ten games in the NHL this season.
The bonus in the contract is a bit peculiar given that the Islanders were likely the only suitor for Martin’s services after he lingered unsigned in free agency for over three months. However, the $100K bonus won’t impact New York much as they can roll any overage into next season when they will have over $20MM in cap space.
In other evening notes:
- Colorado Avalanche forwards Miles Wood and Ross Colton are expected to play tonight when the Avalanche take on the Ottawa Senators (as per Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports). Both players missed team practice yesterday after they were banged up in Thursday night’s game against Utah. Colorado head coach Jared Bednar told the media yesterday that the team was trying to allow the players to recover so that they wouldn’t miss any game time. It would appear the tactic worked, which is good news for a team that has lost a pile of man games this season.
- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust left last night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks with a lower-body injury (as per Ryan Gagne of The Hockey News). The 32-year-old was run into the boards by Canucks forward Nils Hoglander, who had some choice words for him as he left the ice. The Penguins were quick to rule the veteran out for the remainder of the game which isn’t a great sign for the struggling club moving forward. Pittsburgh has yet to provide an update and returned to Pittsburgh today after a disastrous road trip through Western Canada that saw the Penguins go 0-3-1. Pittsburgh plays at home on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.