After the untimely injury to defenceman Thomas Hickey, a new spot on the back end is now open for an aspiring defenceman until about a month into the season. The first names that come to mind that would likely, and hopefully seamlessly, take his spot are either Brian Strait, rookie Ryan Pulock or veteran powerplay specialist Marek Zidlicky. Either way, if the Islanders decide to go with two spare defencemen to start the season, all three will likely make the team.
But has a new player thrown his hat in the ring? Arthur Staple from Newsday tweeted this on Thursday:
Top 4 lines for #Isles same as previous practices, fifth line is 90-13-16.