The New York Islanders’ injury picture keeps getting messier, even as they return home after a 2-1-0 road trip and prepare to face the Edmonton Oilers at UBS Arena on Halloween.
The latest update centered on defenseman Ryan Pulock, who left the team’s game against the Minnesota Wild early with an upper-body injury. He saw doctors today, and the Islanders said an update on his status will come tomorrow.
To help cover for Pulock, the Islanders recalled Isaiah George from the Hamilton Hammers. George is not in the lineup against Edmonton, though that could change soon. Scott Mayfield and Matthew Kessel are active as the third-line pairing.
The warmup lines for Game No. 14 against the Oilers showed Adam Pelech moving up to the top pair with Matthew Schaefer, while Logan Stanley skated on the second pair with Tony DeAngelo. The rest of the lineup was Holmstrom-Horvat-Palmieri, Heineman-Schenn-Eklund, Palat-Pageau-Duclair, MacLean-Cizikas-Chaffee, Pelech-Schaefer, Stanley-DeAngelo, Kessel-Mayfield, with Sorokin and Varlamov in goal.
There was at least one bright spot in the update: Matias Maccelli is already back skating. He suffered a lower-body injury on Oct. 17 in a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the team gave him a 2- to 4-week recovery window a few days later. With the Islanders not playing again until Nov. 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes, that break could work in his favor.
Calum Ritchie’s situation is less encouraging. He was also hurt in that game against Toronto, but his injury came with a 4- to 6-week timetable. The team said he is not skating yet, which means he is still at least two weeks away from returning if he reaches the early end of that projection.
The other name drawing attention is Mathew Barzal. His status has not changed since the team’s road trip began.
He is still skating on his own, with no update beyond that. It has been nearly 50 days since it was announced that he wouldn’t be skating for two weeks, right before training camp, and there still isn’t much clarity on his situation, leading to some frustration within the fan base.
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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 Suddenly Have A Veteran Trade Question They Cant Ignore
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The appeal is obvious from the Islanders side: proven veterans, some versatility and a chance to stabilize the lineup without overcommitting long term. But these kinds of ideas live in the gray area until teams actually engage, and one of the more intriguing possibilities comes with a major contractual obstacle that could complicate any path to Long Island. For now, it is less a deal in motion than a reminder that the Islanders may have to keep one eye on the trade market while they wait for their injured players to sort themselves out. [Read more 🡒]