Andrew Ladd, since he remains on injured reserve, is prohibited by a team rule from talking to the media about his apparent imminent return to the Islanders’ lineup.
But the veteran forward taking regular turns in line drills at practice and the fact that Tanner Fritz was re-assigned to Bridgeport (AHL) on Thursday to open a spot on the Islanders’ 23-man roster speaks volumes about Ladd’s recovery from an upper-body injury that has kept him out of all eight preseason games the first three regular-season games.
The Islanders (2-1-0) open a four-game road trip on Saturday night at Nashville.