According to a team announcement, the New York Islanders have placed defenseman Alexander Romanov on injured reserve with an upper-body injury (retroactive to October 16th). Romanov has missed the Islanders’ past two contests and is eligible for activation tomorrow.
Moving Romanov to the IR gives New York an open roster spot to recall another defenseman. Further, once Marc Gatcomb clears waivers and is reassigned to AHL Bridgeport, or is claimed by another team, they’ll have the cap space to make a pair of recalls. According to PuckPedia, the Islanders currently have approximately $706K in cap space and would have around $1.6MM if Gatcomb clears.
Before suffering the upper-body injury, Romanov had been largely unnoticeable for New York this year. He went scoreless in the team’s first four games with a -3 rating, averaging 18:12 of ice time per game. He had a relatively solid 50.7% CorsiFor% at even strength, though his 85.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength left much to be desired.
Although Romanov is expected to return relatively soon, there has been much speculation on whom the Islanders will eventually recall to replace him. Blueliner Marshall Warren, who’s never debuted in the NHL, is one of the most popular choices, given that he’s scored two goals and five points in four games with AHL Bridgeport.
Meanwhile, Isaiah George’s familiar face has been floated as another potential recall, though he hasn’t gotten off to a particularly positive start in the AHL this season. Further, Cole McWard, who won a Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks last season, has tallied two goals in four games and is another recall candidate.