The New York Islanders will be without another one of their expected forwards for the start of the regular season, as the team announced Alan Quine has suffered an upper body injury and will be out for four to six weeks. The team had already lost Shane Prince to injury earlier this summer, though he is on a much longer recovery timetable.
Quine, 24, played in 61 games for the Islanders last season and was expected to compete for a role—likely at center—in the team’s bottom six. In his rookie year last season he put up 18 points, but was an impressive offensive player in the minor leagues. Quine was originally drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, but opted not to sign with them and went back into the draft in 2013. He was subsquently picked by the Islanders in the sixth round, and quickly made it through their system to debut in 2015-16.
With Quine out for training camp and likely at least the first few games of the season, young players like Mathew Barzal could get an even longer look. Barzal has played both wing and center in his junior career, and has looked ready to make an immediate impact at the professional level. Whether that comes with the Islanders or the Bridgeport Sound Tigers isn’t decided yet, but he’ll be an interesting name to watch regardless.