New York Islanders

The Battle For The Sixth Spot: Robin Salo, Dennis Cholowski or Sebastian Aho?

Published

2 years ago

September 14, 2022

The New York Islanders do not have many decisions to make before the start of the 2022-23 NHL season. Development camp starts on Thursday, with training camp beginning on Sept. 21 and the Islanders have just one hole to fill on their main roster.

Who will play on the left side of Scott Mayfield on the Islanders’ third defensive pairing?

I asked New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert if he had someone in mind for that final sixth spot, but he did not have an answer yet.

“That’s what training camp’s for,” Lambert said. “You know, testing things out, and exhibition games and things like that to find the right fit, but at the end of the day, the players, they’re going to answer the questions for us.”

Here are the top three choices for that sixth and final spot on the blue line:

Robin Salo The Front Runner?

There’s no way to know what Lane Lambert and New York Islanders management thinks, but it seems like Robin Salo has a strong chance of winning the job.

In 21 games up with the New York Islanders last season, Salo had a goal and four assists in 16:41 TOI. The 24-year-old showcased an element to his game that, at that point in time, the Islanders were lacking, and that’s his skating.

Robin Salo officially nets his first NHL goal (and with perfect timing) #Isles pic.twitter.com/Cp39Nm3lIE

— Nicole Shirman (@nicolefshirman) January 19, 2022

In 78:01 minutes with Scott Mayfield, the Islanders were outscored 3-1, allowed 48 scoring chances, with 33 of their own.

As for Salo, on an individual level, he was shifty, especially on the blue line. He always seemed to find a way to sneak his wrist shot through traffic. On the defensive side of the puck, Salo blocked 23 shots, with seven hits, five takeaways, and 13 giveaways.

Salo played 40 minutes for the Bridgeport Islanders (AHL), where he notched four goals and eight assists and stayed out of the box with just four penalties.

Upon being sent down after Ryan Pulock returned before the All-Star break, Salo was not the best defenseman in Bridgeport, which cost him another crack with the big club when Scott Mayfield went down. Parker Wotherspoon, who currently does not have a contract (RFA), got the call-up instead and Trotz said it was because he was the best defenseman down in the AHL.

Lane Lambert was asked on Tuesday how close Robin Salo is to becoming an everyday NHLer for the New York Islanders.

“He’s getting closer and closer, and we’ll have to see,” Lambert said. “I think the summer has been a good summer for him. And, you know, we’ll see where, where he’s gone from, you know, season end of last year until training camp this year.

“But certainly he’s a guy that, you know, he just needs to play his game. He’s a puck-moving guy. He’s got good offensive instincts. He’s a power play guy. So, you know, I’m looking forward to seeing where his game is once we open camp.

Robin Salo is waiver-exempt, making the decision to send him to Bridgeport easier for the organization. Also, in Bridgeport, Salo would be playing twenty minutes a game, more minutes than he would get at the NHL level on that third pairing.

Dark Horse Dennis Cholowski

Although the 24-year-old former first-round pick Dennis Cholowski has not been able to be consistent at the NHL level in his numerous stops, do not rule him out of winning that final spot.

Cholowski signed a two-way, two-year deal with an annual cap hit of $762,500 back on Aug. 23.

One thing that does help Cholowski is that his former assistant coach from Detroit, Doug Houda, is now an assistant coach with the New York Islanders.

Over his four-year NHL career, Cholowski has not played much, with just 115 games under his belt. The 20th overall pick in 2016 (one spot before Kieffer Bellows) has 10 goals and 20 assists over that span but was a mess defensively on a struggling Detroit Red Wings team when he first got his NHL chance.

And his lack of offense since then, coupled with his defensive struggles, has made him an afterthought.

In 2021-22, split between the Seattle Kraken (taken in Expansion Draft), the Washington Capitals, and then back with Seattle, Cholowski had three assists in 11 total games, in 15:49 ATOI. He had 13 blocks, five hits, one takeaway, and five giveaways.

You don’t get picked in an expansion draft and waived twice in one season because you have a lot to offer.

But Lane Lambert likes a lot about Cholowski’s game.

“Real solid offensive player, moves the puck well, skates well,” Lambert said. “And, you know, he’s, he’s got good offensive instincts, good. Good mobility. So, you know, he’s a guy who can move the puck and we, we like that.”

What a SNIPE by Dennis Cholowski for his 1st goal of the season! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/La76IW52yR

— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) April 24, 2021

Cholowski, as mentioned, is signed to a two-way deal but is not waiver-exempt.

The Islanders priority as an organization is the NHL level, and if the Islanders feel like Cholowski can rely upon this season, it makes more sense to keep him up and send Salo down.

That’s a big if, given Cholowski’s track record.

Sebastian Aho’s Final Shot?

At this point in Sebastian Aho’s career, we know what kind of player he is. He has the offensive capabilities but struggles in his own zone and has been susceptible to turnovers at inopportune times.

Despite struggles on the defensive side of the puck, the Islanders inked him to a two-year, $1.65 million deal this offseason. If sent down to Bridgeport, he would have to pass through waivers.

Last season, in 36 games played, Sebastian Aho scored two goals with 10 assists. He has 61 career NHL games under his belt, with four total goals and 14 assists.

In 77:15 TOI alongside Scott Mayfield in 2021-22, the Islanders six goals, with five of their own. They were outshot 43-39 but were even in scoring chances (42).

Aho got into a bit of trouble in his native Sweden in mid-August as he was arrested for drinking and driving, per Sweden’s laws.