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Islanders Injury Notes: Bortuzzo, Fasching, Cizikas

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New York Islanders defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has suffered a setback in his recovery from a high-ankle sprain that’s already forced him out of the team’s last 18 games. He is now out indefinitely, per general manager Lou Lamoriello. Bortuzzo was moved to long-term injured reserve earlier this week.

This news comes as a tough blow to not only Bortuzzo – who’s only played 15 games this season – but the Islanders defense, which acquired Bortuzzo in late November in an attempt to add depth in the face of injuries. It’s been a long season for the Islanders, who have seen six of the nine defenders currently on their roster, including Bortuzzo, miss games due to injury. They’re now back to a mostly healthy form, with Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock both returning from long-term absences.

Other New York Islanders notes:

  • Lou Lamoriello also shared that the Islanders may send Hudson Fasching to the AHL on a brief conditioning stint before activating him off of injured reserve. Fasching has been out since January 25th with illness and, thanks to his place on long-term IR, won’t be eligible to return until February 29th at the earliest. The 28-year-old winger has eight points through 35 NHL games this season.
  • Casey Cizikas will be evaluated when the Islanders return to New York for a hand injury suffered in the team’s Tuesday game against Pittsburgh. Cizikas sustained the injury while blocking a shot from Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, and immediately left the game. Yesterday the team recalled Kyle MacLean to serve as depth if Cizikas can’t play on Thursday. Cizikas has 12 points, split evenly, through 44 games this season and recently returned from a lower-body injury that held him out for 10 games.

Islanders Recall Kyle MacLean

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The Islanders have recalled forward Kyle MacLean from AHL Bridgeport, per a team announcement Wednesday.

MacLean is expected to center New York’s fourth line while Casey Cizikas, who sustained a hand injury in Tuesday’s win over the Penguins, does not yet have a timeline for a return. Winger Hudson Fasching was moved to LTIR on Wednesday morning in anticipation of MacLean’s recall, opening up a necessary roster spot and space in their LTIR salary pool.

The 24-year-old skated in Cizikas’ normal spot for six games in January and February while the latter was sidelined with a lower-body injury. They were the first appearances of his NHL career, in which he scored once on three shots on goal while averaging 8:11 per game.

MacLean, the son of Islanders assistant coach John MacLean, struggled in the faceoff dot with a 31.8 win percentage. His possession numbers were mixed – he had a poor 47.8 CF% and -6.4 relative CF% at even strength but managed an even expected rating.

While MacLean occupied the same spot in the lineup as Cizikas, his usage was quite different. Cizikas has started just 16.4% of his shifts in the offensive zone at even strength this year, while MacLean’s oZS% was 63.3.

Five of MacLean’s six appearances came under new head coach Patrick Roy. The outgoing Lane Lambert was fired on Jan. 20, the day after MacLean’s NHL debut against the Blackhawks.

Since returning to Bridgeport in early February, MacLean had three assists and a -1 rating in five games. Now in his fourth season with the Isles’ primary affiliate, MacLean has six goals and 22 points in 43 games on the season, setting the highest points-per-game mark of his professional career.

MacLean is waivers-exempt after signing his entry-level contract with the Islanders last May, so he can be shuffled between leagues at will. He will have arbitration rights this summer if he reaches RFA status upon completion of his one-year, $800K deal.

Islanders Place Hudson Fasching On LTIR

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  • The Islanders moved winger Hudson Fasching to LTIR on Wednesday, per a team announcement. The move is retroactive to Jan. 25; he’s missed seven games with a lower-body injury and is now dealing with an illness. He has been ruled out of the Islanders’ next three contests as a result and will be eligible to return on Feb. 29 against the Red Wings. Placing him on LTIR frees up the necessary roster and cap space for the Islanders to recall a forward from AHL Bridgeport after fourth-line anchor Casey Cizikas sustained a hand injury in last night’s win in Pittsburgh. Fasching, 28, has scored three times and added five assists in 35 games.

Trade Deadline Primer: New York Islanders

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With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is now just a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the New York Islanders.

The New York Islanders have already made their big splash of the new year, hiring legendary goaltender Patrick Roy to take over for Lane Lambert, who was in his second year with the team. Roy has provided energy and spunk to an Islanders team that needed a jolt. He’s also boosted the ice time of key players like Mathew Barzal and Noah Dobson, helping give the team clear leaders to follow. Unfortunately, Roy hasn’t seen the on-ice results just yet. New York is 3-3-3 under their new brass, which also features new coach Benoit Desrosiers, and has seen a dip in their scoring, averaging an even 3.00 goals-per-game under Roy, a step down from the 3.13 goals-per-game they averaged since the start of December under Lambert. This lack of improvement has kept the Islanders on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff race, six points behind the second Wild Card, currently held onto by Detroit. The Islanders will look to bring in whatever help they can at the looming Trade Deadline but it seems the real difference-maker may have to come from within.

Record

22-18-14, 5th in the Metropolitan Division.

Deadline Status

Conservative Sellers

Deadline Cap Space

$0.0MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: NYI 1st, NYI 2nd, NYI 4th, NYI 5th, NYI 6th
2025: NYI 1st, NYI 2nd, NYI 3rd, NYI 4th, NYI 5th, NYI 6th, NYI 7th

Trade Chips

The Islanders are bound by the cap this Deadline, and unlikely to make any move if they can’t clear out space first. There are plenty of options for high-cap hits that they could move out, though each would likely need a hefty sweetener attached that New York might not be able to pay. Jean-Gabriel Pageau may be the most likely cap clearance. The 31-year-old centerman makes a hefty $5MM through the end of the 2025-26 season but has just 22 points and a -11 through 54 games this season to show for it. Pageau has served a proud role as a middle-six centerman for the Islanders, and scored a commendable 13 goals and 40 points last season, but decreased production this year could make the cap space more valuable than Pageau’s role. The same could be said about newcomer Pierre Engvall, whose $3MM cap hit is slightly less daunting and whose role as a middle-six winger is slightly easier to fill. Engvall has just 17 points in 48 games this season, bringing his point totals with the Islanders up to 26 across a combined 66 games. He’s looked strong at times but may better fit on a contender looking to add depth. Teams could also be flattered by Engvall’s long-term contract, with the 27-year-old winger signed through the next seven seasons.

Unfortunately, New York doesn’t boast much future capital to make any cap clearance work. The team does have both their first and second-round picks in the next two drafts, and general manager Lou Lamoriello has shown little hesitancy in moving top picks for immediate solutions, but the asking price to move out such hefty contracts could be a little too sweet. Ruslan Iskhakov could be a strong incentive for other teams. The 23-year-old centerman currently leads the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders in scoring with 13 goals and 35 points. It’s his second season in the AHL, with Iskhakov netting 51 points in 69 games last year. He’s an established pro, with experience in Finland’s Liiga and Germany’s DEL, where he again proved to be one of his team’s most productive players. The 2018 second-round pick has yet to receive the first call-up of his career, though he certainly seems poised to make an impact when given the chance. The prospects of what could be from such a productive, young professional could excite teams enough to take some of New York’s baggage.

Team Needs

1) Build For The Future – The season isn’t doomed for the Islanders, but it’s certainly not looking as optimistic as past years. With the team locked into so many long-term deals with veterans, it’s time they turn their attention towards the future and bank whatever draft capital or young prospects that they can. The Islanders currently have the fourth-oldest roster in the NHL, behind Pittsburgh, Washington, and Edmonton. While clearing cap space will give them the chance to bring change-makers into the NHL lineup quickly, building out their prospect pool will help New York slowly add youth back into the fold. Their best bet may be to find lucrative options, like trading for lucrative and emerging prospects like Florida seventh-round pick Jack Devine, who has 44 points in 30 NCAA games this year. The Islanders could also look to reel in some of the young targets on the open market, like Arthur Kaliyev, Philip Broberg, or Kaapo Kakko. Each 22-year-old has their own degree of uncertainty but may be able to carve out a long-term NHL role with a change of scenery. Finding options to fit the team in two or three years would be a good start to an Islanders team currently without much reinforcement.

2) A Solution On Defense – The Islanders have surprisingly struggled to keep pucks out of the net, even despite star goaltender Ilya Sorokin’s .910 save percentage in 39 games this season. That problem has remedied itself a little bit under Patrick Roy – with New York’s average goals allowed sat at 3.22 over their last nine games, as opposed to 3.61 in Lambert’s final 23 games. But they’re still being outscored at a steady pace and rank as one of the NHL’s worst teams at mounting a comeback, with the eighth-worst win percentage when trailing by two goals. New York tried to remedy this issue earlier in the season, trading for Robert Bortuzzo, but Bortuzzo played in just 11 games with the Islanders before ending up on injured reserve. While they aren’t plagued with the long list of injured defensemen that troubled them earlier in the season, New York is still in need of a more cohesive blue line. They could find cheap ways to address this on the open market by acquiring stalwart defender Ilya Lyubushkin or Andrew Peeke. Both players carry a $2.75MM cap hit, though Lyubushkin is set to be a free agent this summer while Peeke is signed through next season. And while neither would demand a top-pairing role, they could each offer a new face to a struggling Islanders defense. The team could also seek out Flyers defender Nick Seeler, who carries a league-minimum $775K cap hit and enters free agency in the summer. Seeler could similarly help provide consistency to the bottom of New York’s defense, while likely not costing much at all. With very little wiggle room and even fewer assets, the Islanders will have to hope for a cheap deal at the Deadline if they want to make a push for the playoffs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Islanders To Host 2026 NHL All-Star Game

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  • During the Stadium Series game between the New York Islanders and New York Rangers, the Islanders announced that they would be hosting the 2026 NHL All-Star Game at UBS Arena. It will mark the first time since 1983 that the Islanders are set to host the mid-season festivities, with this also being the first time that All-Star weekend will be hosted by UBS. Furthermore, this report confirms that the NHL is planning for players to be involved in both the All-Star Game and the 2026 Winter Olympics.

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Snapshots: Pelletier, Guhle, Rempe, Romanov

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Rookie Calgary Flames forward Jakob Pelletier left the team’s Monday night game after receiving a hit from New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. Pelletier is being listed as sustaining an upper-body injury, though the hit seemed to specifically hit Pelletier’s left shoulder.

Pelletier started the season on season-opening injured reserve with a shoulder injury that required surgery. The injury has limited him to just eight games on the season – split evenly between the AHL and NHL. The 22-year-old winger has scored three points in the AHL and one point in the NHL on the year. Calgary acquired Pelletier in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He has become a popular name on the Flames, injecting a burst of speed and energy that’s been missing form the 25-23-5 Flames lineup.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle is expected to make his return to the lineup on Tuesday. The 22-year-old defenseman suffered an undisclosed injury on Sunday and was questionable to miss time. That won’t be the case, though, as Guhle will look to build on the four goals and 12 points he’s managed through 48 games this season.
  • The New York Rangers have sent down centerman Matt Rempe, who was recalled to the NHL roster for a few days of inactivity. The move is largely a paper transaction, likely to get Rempe experience with the NHL club and NHL payroll. The 21-year-old forward has eight goals, 12 points, and 96 penalty minutes in 43 AHL games this season. He ranks in the top 10 of the league, and leads the Hartford Wolf Pack, in penalty minutes.
  • New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov has returned to the team’s practices as a full participant after missing their Saturday game. Romanov, 24, has appeared in 51 games this season and averaged over 22 minutes of ice time each game. He’s managed five goals and 13 points – a slightly lower scoring pace than the 22 points he managed in 76 games last season, his first year with the Islanders.

Kraken Receiving Interest In Jordan Eberle, Alexander Wennberg

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The Kraken are receiving interest from multiple teams regarding winger Jordan Eberle and center Alexander Wennberg ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports.

Both players are again top-six fixtures for Seattle, who have yo-yoed their way in and out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference all season long. They’re pending UFAs with hefty cap hits of $5.5MM and $4.5MM, respectively, but the Kraken have all three salary retention spots open and could keep money on the books for the rest of the season to facilitate a deal if they do intend on selling at the deadline.

The Oilers have already been linked to Eberle in their pursuit of a complementary top-six winger, with Pagnotta reporting another one of his former teams, the Islanders, as well as the Maple Leafs, have demonstrated interest. The Bruins and Avalanche have called about Wennberg, who’s one of the few quality centers remaining on the deadline rental market.

Whether the Kraken will decide to sell off assets at the deadline is an entirely different question. A recent 3-6-1 stretch now has them six points out of playoff position, but there’s still a shot for Seattle to squeak in for their second consecutive playoff appearance. With a quickly aging group still comprised primarily of expansion draft selections, however, they’d likely do well to recoup value for some veterans and retool around Vince Dunn, Matthew Beniers, and Jared McCann.

Eberle would presumably fetch more value than Wennberg, and rightfully so. He’s having a down season in the goals department – just nine in 49 games, but his 28 points are fifth on the team, and he leads all Kraken players in even-strength Corsi share. He’s been their best two-way skater this season – not just forward – and with eight 20-goal seasons under his belt, he carries immense breakout potential if paired with the skill level of a contending team’s top six.

Thus, a reunion with Edmonton makes the most sense out of the three teams listed. There’s no better breakout potential for Eberle at right wing than alongside Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers’ second unit, and he could do wonders for Draisaitl-anchored lines that have struggled defensively without Connor McDavid.

Wennberg is more of a depth add than an impact pickup for a contender – he’s likely not suited for anything above a third-line role on a team with contending aspirations. He has leveraged major minutes since joining Seattle, logging 18:23 per game over the last three seasons.

Like Eberle, he’s struggled on the scoresheet with eight goals and 21 points in 51 games. Unlike Eberle, he’s shooting above his career average and has some of the worst possession metrics on the Kraken – only Brandon Tanev has a worse Corsi share at even strength among full-time members. His expected -3.6 rating is the worst on the team, and he’s won less than 50% of his faceoffs for the 10th time in 10 NHL seasons. As such, he’s likely a complement to the Bruins’ and Avs’ cast of middle-six centers that lack punch, not a significant upgrade. Even at a half-retained $2.25MM cap hit, his disappointing season might be too much to swallow and a third team may need to retain another 50% of his salary to facilitate a trade.

No Contract Discussions Yet For Ishkakov; Agent Denies KHL Report

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  • Dan Milstein, the agent for Islanders prospect Ruslan Iskhakov, told Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News that contrary to speculation from earlier this week that had him linked to the KHL, the forward has yet to engage in discussions for next season. The 23-year-old is in his second AHL season and has been quite productive, collecting 34 points in 44 games this season after putting up 51 points in his rookie campaign in 2022-23 but is still looking for his first NHL opportunity.  Iskhakov is set to become a restricted agent with arbitration eligibility this summer.

Alexander Romanov Out With Lower-Body Injury

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  • The New York Islanders will be without defenseman Alexander Romanov this afternoon, as the team announced he is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Not much of an offensive threat from the blue line, Romanov has nevertheless been solid for the Islanders this season, skating alongside Noah Dobson at the top of the team’s defensive core. In 51 games for New York this year, Romanov has scored five goals and 13 points, producing a +15 rating while averaging over 22 minutes of ice time per game.

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Islanders To Activate Casey Cizikas, Reassign Kyle MacLean

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The Islanders will activate center Casey Cizikas from long-term injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Lightning, as implied by his full participation in Thursday’s morning skate (via Newsday’s Andrew Gross). Center Kyle MacLean has been returned to AHL Bridgeport to open a roster spot.

Cizikas, 32, is still listed as a game-time decision after being upgraded Wednesday night. However, with Hudson Fasching still out with a lower-body injury, the Islanders don’t have an extra healthy forward on the roster and would need to dress seven defensemen if Cizikas is a late scratch.

As expected, Cizikas will return to his long-time home on the team’s fourth line between Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck. Now in his 13th season with the team, Cizikas has five goals and 11 points in 39 contests while averaging 13:30 per game. He remains under contract until 2027 with a $2.5MM cap hit.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old MacLean returns to Bridgeport on a more permanent basis after being ferried up and down in Cizikas’ absence. The son of Isles assistant coach John MacLean scored his first NHL goal Monday night against the Maple Leafs, his only point during the first six games of his NHL career.

MacLean saw limited action under new head coach Patrick Roy, averaging 8:11 per game. He struggled in the faceoff dot, winning 14 out of 44 draws, and recorded a 47.8% Corsi share at even strength.

The New Jersey native has six goals and 19 points in 38 games with Bridgeport this season, on pace for AHL career-highs. He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer upon completion of a one-year, two-way contract worth $800K in the NHL and $82.5K in the AHL.

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