Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck suffered an upper-body injury on Thursday against Buffalo that will keep him out indefinitely. The team has decided who will take his place on the roster, announcing (Twitter link) that center Aatu Raty has been recalled from AHL Bridgeport.
Raty is in his first full season in North America and has spent the bulk of the year so far in the minors, notching seven goals and eight assists in 27 games. The 20-year-old has gotten into seven games with New York as well, collecting a pair of goals while averaging 8:25 per game.
Notably, Raty was still 19 as of September 15th which means the nine-game threshold for junior-aged players still applies. Once he plays in his tenth NHL game this season, he will officially burn the first year of his entry-level contract. If he plays in fewer than that, he’ll still have three years left on his contract after this season. That’s something the team will certainly be keeping in mind with this move.
If Raty sticks around for a while on this recall and pushes past that threshold, the next one for them to consider would be 40 games on the active roster which would accrue him a season of eligibility for unrestricted free agency. However, they’re a long way from that point at the moment.
As for Clutterbuck, it has been a tough season for the 35-year-old who has battled an upper-body injury a couple of times already. He has suited up in 34 games for the Isles, picking up four goals and four assists while chipping in with 130 hits.