Updated: Islanders Recall MacLean; Latest On Cizikas, Fasching & Bortuzzo

When the New York Islanders demoted Kyle MacLean to the minors earlier this month, it was expected that the young center would somehow, someway, find his way back to the NHL at some point in the future. Little did anyone know that it wouldn’t take very long for that to happen.

MacLean is now heading back up to the NHL after the Islanders recalled him from Bridgeport on Wednesday afternoon, according to an announcement from the team.

MacLean made his NHL debut with the Islanders on Jan. 19 and performed well in six games for the club while filling in for Casey Cizikas on the fourth line.

“I think he has a future with us, no doubt in my mind,” Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said after the team sent MacLean down to Bridgeport on Feb. 8. “He played really well. I felt like he was very reliable and played really well defensively.”

Check It Out: Kyle MacLean Passes First Test In NHL With Islanders

Now it appears the Islanders may need MacLean to do just that once again. According to multiple reports, MacLean was skating in Cizikas’ spot on the Islanders’ fourth line this morning at Enterprise Center as they prepared for their matchup with the St. Louis Blues tonight.

Cizikas exited the Islanders’ overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday after blocking a shot off his hand. Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said Cizikas will be evaluated when the team returns home from their current road trip, according to Andrew Gross of Newsday.

Lou Lamoriello said Casey Cizikas, who took a puck off his hand in Pittsburgh, will be evaluated when team returns to New York.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) February 22, 2024

To make room on their roster for MacLean, the Islanders moved Hudson Fasching to long-term injured reserve. Fasching’s injury is retroactive to Jan. 25, when he suffered a lower-body injury against the Montreal Canadiens.

Fasching has not played in a game since then and only just resumed practicing with the team last week. He did not join the Islanders on their current road trip due to illness.

With Fasching having not played in almost a month, Lamoriello said the forward will play at least one game in Bridgeport as part of his rehab before rejoining the Islanders.

In further injury news, defenseman Robert Bortuzzo will be absent indefinitely after suffering a setback while rehabbing a lower-body injury he suffered on Jan. 2 in Colorado.

Tonight’s game in St. Louis would’ve been a quasi-homecoming for Bortuzzo, who spent 10 years playing for the Blues before being traded to the Islanders acquired him in a trade on Dec. 8.

The Islanders (23-18-14) and Blues (29-24-2) will drop the puck tonight at 8 p.m. EST.

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