The Islanders are shuffling the blue line again, and Isaiah George is back in the mix after being recalled from AHL Hamilton.
That move came with Ryan Pulock out of the lineup after an upper-body injury knocked him from Thursday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Wild. Pulock lasted just 51 seconds before exiting, and the New York Post reported the Islanders were expecting him to miss at least a game or two, beginning with this afternoon’s home game against the Oilers.
Matthew Kessel had been the only extra defenseman on hand. DeBoer was scheduled to address the media around 12:30 p.m.
ET before the game, according to Isles reporter Stefen Rosner.
George’s path back up has been a quick one. The 22-year-old was among New York’s final training camp cuts and was sent to Hamilton on September 27, the same day the Islanders signed veteran Logan Stanley to a one-year deal.
At the time, head coach Pete DeBoer pushed back on the idea that the assignment was some kind of setback, pointing to Devon Toews as an example of how long the road can be for a defenseman. “It’s a journey to become an NHL defenseman, and he took a step,” DeBoer said.
The AHL stint didn’t go exactly as planned. George, who wore a letter for Hamilton on opening night, left the club’s October 9 home opener with an upper-body injury, and Hammers head coach Jay McKee said afterward that the team did not expect him back anytime soon. He did return to Hamilton’s lineup Thursday.
George’s recall also comes with a decent amount of NHL experience already on his résumé. The Islanders picked him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, 98th overall.
He debuted in the NHL as a 20-year-old in 2024-25 and appeared in 33 games that season, posting one goal and four assists while averaging a little more than 15 minutes per night. Injuries limited him to four NHL games last season, and he now has one goal and five assists in 37 career NHL games.
Then, on Nov. 1st, the Islanders made another move: George was returned to AHL Hamilton. The team also announced that Pulock is expected to miss two to four weeks with his upper-body injury. George may be back again before long.
In Other News...
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For the Islanders, the ripple effect could be felt in a very specific way. Russian players in the organization may now have a path back to international tournaments, changing the summer and winter schedules for a club that has long had a notable Russian presence in its pipeline and on its roster. The full impact will depend on how those upcoming events are handled, but this ruling adds a new layer to the conversation around who might be available, and when. [Read more 🡒]
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Islanders Desperately Needed This Break After Looking Worn Down
The Islanders looked like a team that had simply run out of gas by the time they got to Edmonton, and the schedule had a lot to do with it. Playing their fourth game in seven days, with injuries already thinning the lineup and penalties adding to the burden, New York spent much of the night trying to keep up with an Oilers team that could press the pace. Head coach Peter DeBoer pointed to fatigue and the grind of multiple overtime games as the backdrop for the mistakes that piled up.
Now the Islanders finally get a breather before their next game against Carolina, and they badly need it. The time off should help them reset physically and mentally after a punishing stretch, while also giving the team a chance to see whether Matias Maccelli can work his way back into the mix. For a group that has looked worn down, the coming days may matter as much as anything else on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]