Injuries derailed Luca Sbisa’s season with Vegas last year, as he was on injured reserve four times. The New York Islanders saw enough from the former top pairing defensemen to bring in and give a look.
So far, Sbisa has played a ton for the Islanders. In the first game out on the ice, he played 23:06 and his second time out he played 19:38. He’s playing top pair minutes.
I’m not saying that he’ll play top pair minutes if he makes the team but his playing time hints that he’s the front-runner for landing that seventh d-man role.