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Latest On Bo Horvat

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Shortly before tonight’s game in Colorado, the Utah Mammoth shared that starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka is unable to play, due to an upper-body injury. Vítek Vaněček has gotten the start, looking to improve upon his 2-7-1 record this season. 

As such occurred on short notice, the team signed Utah native Colten McIntyre to an Amateur Try-Out Agreement. McIntyre, 21, will live out a dream tonight having played in the NA3HL and EHL, at the Tier 3 Junior A level, fairly different than #2 goaltender against the best team in the NHL.  

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Islanders forward Bo Horvat was a participant in practice this morning, donning a non-contact jersey, per Ethan Sears of the New York Post. The center hasn’t played since December 11, leaving mid-game due to a lower-body injury. Fearing the worst, the club received favorable news on his diagnosis, and Horvat should return by early January. Despite showing some regression last season, the 30-year-old has 31 points in 32 games, and will be a huge boost for an Islanders group which has continued to win and exceed expectations. 
  • Another New York star was spotted this morning in a non-contact jersey, albeit elsewhere, as Adam Fox eases back in from his shoulder injury (shared by Mollie Walker of The New York Post). The defenseman first returned to practice last week, having been absent all of December. With 23 points in 27 games, Fox was playing at peak level prior to going down, and while they do not want to rush him, New York is facing mounting pressure to get their season on track which has been pushed back without their hometown hero. Fox will most likely return after the New Year.

Islanders’ Isaiah George Out Week-To-Week

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New York Islanders defenseman Isaiah George is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, according to The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner.

George, who is currently playing for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, needed to be helped off of the ice after he collided awkwardly with the boards while attempting a defensive zone puck retrieval. Per Isles in the Sound’s Kenny Kaminsky, George “did not leave the ice under his own power.” George had only recently returned from a separate injury, an upper-body ailment that had cost him the chance to play for most of November and early December.

While George’s injury won’t have an immediate or direct on the Islanders’ NHL defense, the news is still relevant for the Islanders’ NHL plans as George’s injury means that a top defensive call-up option will be unavailable on a week-to-week basis.

The Islanders selected George in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, and he quickly rose to become one of the team’s more pro-ready defensive prospects.

He entered last season ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the Islanders’ system by the team at Elite Prospects, and ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the Islanders’ pool by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler in January.

Wheeler called George “one of the development stories of the year in hockey” and called his rapid development “a real surprise to those who followed him closely in the OHL.” Wheeler projected George to become a “useful depth defenseman” at the NHL level, and that appears to be what he has become, although he hasn’t played at the NHL level this season.

There are multiple factors influencing why George has not played at all in the NHL in 2025-26 after getting into 33 NHL games in 2024-25. First and foremost, the addition of 2025 No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer to the Islanders’ depth chart has meant Islanders’ depth blueliners have had one less lineup spot to compete for.

When Alexander Romanov is healthy, that means the Islanders can run a trio of left-handed defensemen that would be the envy of many teams across the league: Schaefer, Romanov, and veteran Adam Pelech. With Romanov out due to injury, the Islanders’ depth defensemen have been left to compete for one lineup spot, a spot next to Scott Mayfield on the team’s third pairing.

So far this season, the Islanders have elected to give older depth blueliners Marshall Warren and Travis Mitchell a look in that spot, rather than George. Of course, George’s earlier injury didn’t help his odds of earning a recall. But there are also other factors to consider as well. Perhaps most significant is contract status. George has an additional season left on his entry-level deal beyond 2025-26, while Mitchell and Warren are both playing on expiring contracts.

The Islanders have a GM in Mathieu Darche that is in the midst of his first full campaign with the club. While there has been no firm reporting that this is the case, one could speculate that Darche has chosen to recall Mitchell and Warren over George in part because he’s looking to get as much information as possible about how each of those expiring defensemen fare in the NHL while he considers how to approach each player’s upcoming free agency.

If the club knows it has George under contract for another year, from a resource-management perspective, there’s an argument to be made that the Islanders are better served using those NHL games to see what they have in Mitchell and Warren before the summer.

Of course, if the Islanders believe George is a substantial upgrade in the NHL over those two players, and believe that playing George over Mitchell or Warren improves their chances of winning games, then that aforementioned perspective naturally takes a back seat. But seeing as Warren is currently in the NHL and Mitchell only recently concluded an NHL call-up, it appears unlikely that the Islanders view the situation that way.

While he was likely eyeing a chance to return to the NHL, due to today’s injury development, George will have to first recover from his injury before he can make another push to earn a spot in head coach Patrick Roy’s lineup.

Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Islanders Reportedly Interested In Kiefer Sherwood

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The trade market for Vancouver Canucks winger Kiefer Sherwood is beginning to materialize and will likely continue growing leading up to the trade deadline. According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, the Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Tampa Bay Lightning have “kicked the tires” on Sherwood.

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New York Islanders Recall Marshall Warren

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The New York Islanders have recalled defenseman Marshall Warren from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders.

The move comes shortly after the Islanders reassigned blueliner Travis Mitchell to Bridgeport after a nine-game recall. Mitchell is one NHL game away from becoming eligible for waivers, so reassigning him yesterday kept New York from potentially needing to expose him to waivers down the line if he was reassigned at a different, later point.

Like Mitchell, Warren also made his NHL debut in 2025-26. Warren was first recalled on Oct. 25 and ended up playing in two games for the Islanders before he was sent down on Oct. 28. Warren made an instant impact in his NHL debut, registering two assists in the club’s shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He skated 12:56 in the team’s following game before he was returned to the AHL.

Warren was also recalled in November, but didn’t dress for any games, instead serving as a healthy scratch for three contests. A 2019 sixth-round pick of the Minnesota Wild, Warren had a four-year NCAA career at Boston College before spending his final season of college hockey at Michigan. He scored 17 points in 53 games last season, his first playing pro hockey, and has 12 points through 17 games in the AHL this season.

He’s playing out the final year of his entry-level contract, one that pays him a $775K base salary at the NHL level and a $75K salary at the AHL level, with a $50K signing bonus. He’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights in the summer unless he signs an extension before that point.

Mitchell played on the left side of the Islanders’ third pairing alongside veteran Scott Mayfield, so his reassignment yesterday opened a spot in head coach Patrick Roy’s lineup. But Newsday’s Andrew Gross reported today that Adam Boqvist skated alongside Mayfield during practice, signaling that Warren is likely to begin his recall as a healthy scratch, at least for tomorrow’s game against the Canucks. Boqvist, the 2018 No. 8 overall pick, has been a healthy scratch in nine of the Islanders’ last 10 games.

Islanders’ Maxim Tsyplakov Generating Trade Interest

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Things haven’t gone according to plan so far in 2025-26 for second-year New York Islanders forward Maxim Tsyplakov, as the talented Russian winger has been a healthy scratch in four consecutive games, bringing his total number of healthy scratches to 14 across the Islanders’ 34 total games played.

Earlier this month, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that “other teams are poking around” regarding Tsyplakov’s availability via a trade, but nothing more concrete has materialized yet.

Islanders head coach Patrick Roy has insisted repeatedly that Tsyplakov is routinely spending games in the press box not because he’s done anything wrong himself, but rather because the Islanders’ other forwards are simply playing too well to be left out of the lineup.

Tsyplakov addressed his situation yesterday, per The New York Post’s Ethan Sears, denying that any potential trade has been discussed with him and his agent. He told Sears, “It’s tough being the 14th forward, sometimes it’s not happy. Not enjoyable. I just want to play. Not under 10 minutes.”

When asked whether potential trades have been discussed with his agent, which is listed as Ryan Barnes of Quartexx per PuckPedia, Tsyplakov said “Not yet,” and “just see what they do. We’ll see.”

That Tsyplakov has reached this point in Long Island so quickly is something of a surprise given how successful his rookie campaign was. The Islanders beat out other contenders such as the Montreal Canadiens to sign Tsyplakov out of the KHL, and their faith in the player was instantly rewarded as he hit the ground running in the NHL, scoring 10 goals and 35 points as a 26-year-old rookie.

But so far this season, Tsyplakov hasn’t come close to the level of impact he reached as a rookie. He was New York’s No. 9 forward in terms of ice time last season, averaging nearly 15:00 time on ice per game with a minute and a half per game on the power play.

That usage has sharply declined this season, after the Islanders added another KHL free agent, Maxim Shabanov, over the summer. The addition of veteran Jonathan Drouin in free agency and breakout sophomore Emil Heineman via trade has also eaten into Tsyplakov’s role. As a result, the 27-year-old has seen his ice time decline sharply, and that’s when he’s not a healthy scratch.

So far in 2025-26, Tsyplakov is averaging just 9:29 time on ice per game, the fewest of any Islanders forward this season. He’s also only resumed his role on the power play in one game this season, his time on the man advantage almost completely evaporating year-over-year. Consequently, his production is nowhere close to what it was a year ago; he has just one goal and no assists through 20 games this year.

While it appears that the Islanders and Tsyplakov can continue in this situation into the near future, it’s fair to question whether keeping Tsyplakov in this kind of reserve role is sustainable over the long term.

Over the summer, the Islanders settled with Tsyplakov before arbitration, with the player signing a two-year, $2.25MM AAV deal to end his restricted free agency. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of that contract, and it’s unlikely that the Islanders pledged $2.25MM of cap space to Tsyplakov with the idea that he’d be spending much of the season as a healthy scratch.

With each passing game that Tsyplakov doesn’t play, the more likely it appears that he could be traded. Of course, just one injury or decision from Roy could change things, but at the moment, a trade could very well be the most suitable solution for both the Islanders and Tsyplakov.

Given the high level of interest in his services as a KHL free agent, his solid 35-point rookie campaign, and the fact that he remains under team control for another season at a reasonable cap hit, it’s unlikely that there would be any shortage of interest from rival teams in acquiring Tsyplakov.

The Islanders would be “selling low,” to an extent, but if they don’t plan on utilizing Tsyplakov beyond a very minor role this year, it could be best for both sides to work out a trade. If nothing else, Tsyplakov’s playing role in New York will be a key storyline to continue to monitor on Long Island moving forward.

Photos courtesy of Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images

New York Islanders Reassign Travis Mitchell

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According to a team announcement, the New York Islanders have assigned defenseman Travis Mitchell to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. No corresponding roster move was made, so the Islanders will move forward with 22 players on the active roster for the time being.

The transaction was expected for a few reasons. Having played nine games, Mitchell was one contest away from being waiver-eligible. Additionally, if the Islanders want to recall Mitchell despite the prospect of exposing him through waivers, he will be eligible tomorrow, assuming he plays in Bridgeport’s game tonight.

Additionally, there’s some belief that the Islanders could turn to Isaiah George instead. George recently returned to the AHL Islanders after missing a month in concussion protocol. He’s scored one goal and five points in 16 AHL games this season with a +4 rating. He’s relatively accustomed to life in the NHL, too, having suited up in 33 games with New York last season.

Meanwhile, Mitchell’s only NHL minutes came this season. Across his nine games, he’s registered one goal while averaging 11:32 of ice time. He performed well on the defensive side of the puck in his limited usage, managing a 93.6% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Regardless, the Islanders have some time before they need to make a decision. They don’t play again until Friday, and only have three games in the next 10 days. Even without Mitchell, they have six healthy defensemen on the active roster.

Horvat Expected To Miss One To Three Weeks

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It appears that the Islanders have avoided the worst-case scenario when it comes to injured center Bo Horvat.  Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News reports that the initial indication is that the veteran will miss one to three weeks with a lower-body injury but that there was no structural damage.  The injury occurred in the second period of Thursday’s game against Anaheim; he left the game and did not return.  Horvat is in the middle of a strong showing this season, potting 19 goals and 12 assists through 32 games.  Only three players have more goals than he does but that list will certainly be longer by the time he returns.

Jonathan Drouin Participates In Morning Skate

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  • The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner reported today that New York Islanders forward Jonathan Drouin was on the ice for the team’s morning skate. Per Rosner, this is Drouin’s first time skating back with the team since he took warmups before the team’s game against the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 4. Drouin has been out with a back injury since that point, and has so far missed four games. The veteran forward has three goals and 15 points in 26 games so far this season and is playing out the first year of the two-year, $4MM AAV free agent pact that brought him to Long Island.

Islanders Release Andrej Sustr From AHL Tryout

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Veteran defender Andrej Šustr has been released from his professional tryout agreement with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, the team announced. For now, his attempted return to North America is over.

Šustr landed with the Isles’ farm team on a PTO after inking one with the crosstown Rangers to participate in their NHL camp. He lasted over a week in camp but was released from that deal on Sep. 29, and he wasn’t offered an AHL deal to stay with them, either. A few days later, Bridgeport picked him up for added veteran depth.

The former penalty-killing fixture with the Lightning wasn’t able to carve out much of a role, though. He’d been an increasingly frequent scratch, playing only five times since the start of November and not since Nov. 15. In 11 appearances, the 6’7″ righty posted one assist, a -6 rating, and 21 penalty minutes.

Šustr has 361 NHL games to his name but none since 2021-22, a season he split between the Lightning and the Ducks – his second stint with each team. The Czech rearguard was a relatively successful pickup by Tampa as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2013. He became a regular on their right side and one of their most frequent shorthanded options, posting a 10-53–63 scoring line with a -3 rating in 318 games across six seasons across his first stint. He became a free agent in 2018 and inked a one-year deal with the Ducks, but he played just five games for Anaheim and spent most of the season in the minors.

He spent the following two seasons in China with Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League, going without a goal in 99 games, before returning to Tampa in 2021. He split the year between the Lightning and AHL Syracuse before being claimed off waivers by the Ducks in February, finishing the year there. He signed with the Wild for 2022-23 but never suited up for them after clearing waivers at the beginning of the year. Anaheim acquired him for a third time for minor-league depth at the deadline in the John Klingberg deal, but he again didn’t see a recall. Šustr became a UFA and had spent the last two seasons in three separate European leagues – Germany’s DEL with Kölner Haie, Czechia’s Extraliga with HC Dynamo Pardubice, and Finland’s Liiga with Tappara, before landing his tryout with the Rangers to attempt an NHL return.

Now 35, Šustr has almost definitely played his final NHL game. Considering his underwhelming showing with Bridgeport, his last pro game in North America might be in the rearview as well.

Drouin Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury

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  • Prior to tonight’s game against Colorado, the Islanders announced (Twitter link) that winger Jonathan Drouin is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The 30-year-old is in his first season in New York after coming over from the Avs in free agency and while he hasn’t been scoring much (he has just three goals), he has picked up a dozen assists through his first 26 games; his 15 points are good for sixth in team scoring.

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