New York Islanders
3 New York Islanders Call-Ups That Should Get a Chance to Stay
The New York Islanders may or may not resume work on the ice on Wednesday, and when they do it’s unclear which Islanders players will be returning from COVID protocol.
New York’s hope is that they’ll get back a number of their regulars back by the time the team hits the ice, but there have been a few call ups from AHL Bridgeport that have earned the right to stick around a bit longer for how they’ve played during the COVID outbreak. whether or not Lou Lamoriello, Barry Trotz and the rest of the Islanders front office agree is another story.
Here is the case for three call-ups to remain on the New York Islanders roster.
Robin Salo
could this be a similar situation to the one the Islanders had with Devon Toews? Salo was certainly heralded during training camp and the rookie stood out during the preseason, but the New York Islanders still wanted to give the 23-year-old a chance to develop and adjust to the North American game down in AHL Bridgeport.
Injuries and COVID forced the Islanders to call him up and he has played well since. Salo appeared in all four games during the COVID outbreak and has averaged 21:26 of ice time during that span. In fact, his fewest amount of ice time came during the Isles’ loss to the New York Rangers.
Salo has come with a few bumps and hiccups along the way as well, but his skating and puck-moving ability, along with the offensive upside he brings, has not gone unnoticed. The Islanders have struggled massively with that aspect of their game with the departure of Nick Leddy this offseason and have felt the loss of Toews from the previous offseason now more than ever.
Richard Panik
Part of the return in the Leddy trade, Panik proved to be more important than anyone could have imagined at the start of the season. With Panik in the organization, the Islanders were able to get an experienced veteran into the lineup, even with so many of their regulars down because of injury or COVID.
Panik filled in for the New York Islanders well during the four games he has been in this season. He hasn’t found the back of the net for the snakebitten Isles and has one assist so far, but he had been one of the more consistent forwards in the lineup. He may not be scoring, but he usually creates offensive opportunities for New York when he is on the ice or creating offensive pressure.
It’s clear that Trotz has liked what he’s seen so far from the 30-year-old. After playing 14:42 in his first game of the season against Calgary and 12:21 in the second game, he has averaged around 16 minutes of ice time the Islanders’ last two games.
Anatolii Golyshev
No, Golyshev has not played a regular-season game yet in a New York Islanders jersey, but the Russian forward should get the chance to. Head coach Barry Trotz has not used him in the lineup and expressed reservation about doing so when asked by reporters.
“(Anatolii Golyshev) hasn’t proven at this level, I guess,” Trotz said after the loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. “I felt that other people are a little bit ahead of him. That’s really my choice I would think. Just don’t feel that he’s quite there.”
The answer was perplexing considering the lack of offense the Islanders had been getting and Golyshev’s ability to create chances. He has seven points and five goals in 13 games for the AHL Islanders this season. He has been credited as one of the most hardworking players on the ice by Trotz during the preseason and by Bridgeport coach Brent Thompson. At this stage in the game, it would seem to benefit the Islanders to give the 26-year-old a chance in the lineup.