Barzal Joins Team; Duclair, Pelech Shed Non-Contact: Roster Fallout IMMINENT

The New York Islanders are having an extremely good morning today. Mathew Barzal rejoined team practice before tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Barzal has not played or skated with the team since October 30, when he was injured in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

What’s more, Barzal returned in a regular contact jersey, as opposed to the non-contact jerseys that Anthony Duclair and Adam Pelech initially returned in.

Speaking of Duclair and Pelech, they both shed their non-contact jerseys as well (Andrew Gross Newsday). That’s three major reinforcements seemingly getting ready to return for the Islanders at a time when they can desperately use it.

Most significantly, courtesy of Andrew Gross of Newsday, Patrick Roy specifically labeled all three day-to-day with no specific timetable for a return.

As well as the Islanders have done to tread water while missing the trio, it’s time for them to return.

In their last game, the Islanders once again failed to gain any traction on the power play, going 0/3 while only scoring one goal. While the power play unquestionably started slow, even with Barzal, he will only make it better, as will Duclair.

What’s more, the returning forwards will immensely help the forward depth, as just one quick glance at a potential lineup will show. None of the three will play tonight, but the signals are there for a return within the week, potentially even on the upcoming road trip that takes the team to Chicago, Carolina, and finally, Toronto.

How the Defense Shakes Out:

On the defensive side of the coin, it seems pretty elementary what’ll happen there. Isaiah George, who Head Coach Patrick Roy benched for the second half of Tuesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings, will likely be sent down to Bridgeport when Pelech is activated.

Pelech is only on standard injured reserve, so with the roster currently full, all the Islanders have to do is activate him and make a corresponding move to free up the roster space. In this case, that would be assigning George down to Bridgeport.

Dennis Cholowski will remain the team’s third-pairing defenseman, where Mike Reilly started the season. Cholowski has stepped up this season and earned his role not only at 5v5 but also as a key cog for the second power-play unit.

Grant Hutton has earned the seventh defenseman spot with his steady defensive play. He’s a Swiss army knife for Roy, having truly played in all situations and performing admirably given the circumstances.

The only question is the top four: whether or not Roy will break up Alexander Romanov and Ryan Pulock, a pair used in a recent slew of games to varied levels of success. The hunch here is Roy keeping that pair and flipping Pelech up top to skate with Noah Dobson. That pairing would give Dobson some extra freedom, knowing he’s got a rock-solid partner when he skates up the ice, something Roy has begged Dobson to do more of.

Looking at the standard depth chart, it’ll likely look this:

Adam Pelech-Noah Dobson

Alexander Romanov-Ryan Pulock

Dennis Cholowski-Scott Mayfield

E- Grant Hutton

The Forward Conundrum:

Barzal and Duclair’s return to the lineup is not nearly as cut and dry. Both are currently on LTIR, and players and salaries need to be moved over when activated.

Thanks to PuckPedia, we know exactly what the Islanders need to clear from the books. Currently, the team is over the cap. Shifting Mike Reilly to LTIR, an expected move, knocks the number the Islanders need to clear by his hit, $1.25 million.

When that happens, the Islanders need to clear approximately $2.85 million. Three simple moves will make the Islanders cap compliant, and we already chose one to showcase earlier.

George and his 838k cap hit will be sent down when Pelech is ready, likely before either forward is ready.

So, from there, the Islanders would need to clear another two million and change off the books. Reading the tea leaves of the lineup decisions during the injuries seems pretty easy to tell.

Hudson Fasching, who has not been able to recapture his form from previous seasons, will likely be waived and either claimed or demoted to Bridgeport, clearing his $775k cap hit. Fasching’s style of play has not meshed well in Roy’s system, leaving him on the outside looking in more often than not.

The other cut would seemingly have to be Pierre Engvall. Engvall, who’s been healthy scratched and talked down to through the media multiple times this season, is not a player Roy seemingly trusts. Engvall’s hit buries just $1.15 of his $3 million cap hit, but it’s enough to make the Islanders compliant, assuming Varlamov is not seriously injured and Marcus Hogberg is sent down.