The New York Islanders are coming off a couple of nice road wins and, on Halloween, will be back at home against the Edmonton Oilers. Unfortunately, a recent roster move indicates one of their key players might be missing some time.
As the Islanders continue to push on without Mathew Barzal in the lineup, this is a team that has been performing pretty well . New York is coming into their matchup against the Oilers on Sunday with a 7-4-2 record.
The Oilers are going to present them with a major challenge as one of the best teams in the league to start the year. Connor McDavid is playing at an extremely high level, and slowing him down will be a challenge.
For New York, they are going to have a new face on the roster as defenseman Isaiah George has been called up to replace an injured Ryan Pulock.
With Ryan Pulock leaving their recent game against the Minnesota Wild early with an upper-body injury and not returning, there was obviously some concern about what his status was going to be going forward.
While there is no word yet, the Islanders have called up Isaiah George from Hamilton, which isn't great for the status of Pulock. The veteran defenseman has been a steady force on the blueline for the Islanders for many years and features a very heavy shot offensively.
Now, with him clearly going to be missing some time, it will be George who could be getting the first crack at playing in his place. New York certainly gave the young defenseman all of the opportunities to win a spot on the NHL roster during training camp and the preseason, but he was unable to deliver.
However, even though he didn't earn his spot, the team is still high on him and believes he can be a key piece of the blueline going forward.
While the injury to Pulock is obviously not good news, the Islanders do have depth and young talent on the blueline to survive his missing time. Furthermore, Matthew Schaefer seemingly has no issue playing 25+ minutes a game, which is a major luxury for Peter DeBoer.
In terms of George, it will be interesting to see what he does with this opportunity that is in front of him. As a talented young player, he could make an impression and secure a spot on the roster going forward.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/islanders/onsi as NY Islanders Call Up Isaiah George Following Ryan Pulock's Injury .
