Losing Johnny Boychuk isn’t going to be an easy thing to overcome for the New York Islanders. The veteran blueliner was having a bounce-back year and stayed relatively healthy throughout the regular season.
In his place will step Thomas Hickey. Hickey only played 40 games this year with four points (0 goals, 4 assists) and he was relatively fine in the games he played. The Islanders just had a better fit with Leddy, Pelech, and Toews as the lefty d-men, which is what led to Hickey being scratched most nights.
After playing 60 or more games for the Islanders in the last five seasons, Hickey’s role was diminished this season.