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New York Islanders Activate Kyle Palmieri

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Yesterday, as part of our coverage of Adam Pelech’s placement on injured reserve, we covered how the New York Islanders were nearing a return date for Kyle Palmieri, who was out with an upper-body injury.

Today, that return date has been finalized, with Palmieri being activated from injured reserve this afternoon. Palmieri, 31, has played in 20 games so far this season, scoring six goals and nine points. He scored 15 goals and 33 points last year, playing on a $5MM cap hit that runs until the summer of 2025.

Palmieri is a veteran of over 700 career NHL games, and his return to full health is a positive development for the Islanders as they look to make their return to the playoffs. Not only does Palmieri chip in an important amount of secondary scoring, but his gritty, hard-working style is also very highly regarded on Long Island by both fans and coach Lane Lambert.

While he may be a few too many years removed from his 30-goal, 50-point days to be relied on for that kind of production anymore, he’s still an experienced forward with an exceptional resume and a wealth of experience.

New York Islanders Place Adam Pelech On Injured Reserve

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The New York Islanders have announced that they have placed defenseman Adam Pelech on injured reserve. Per their announcement, the move is retroactive to December 6th, meaning it’s possible that Pelech misses just one more game.

The move also allows the Islanders to activate Kyle Palmieri off of injured reserve for tomorrow’s game, if they so choose. Palmieri has been out with an upper-body injury.

Pelech is among the most important defensemen on the Islanders’ roster. The 28-year-old veteran is typically partnered with Ryan Pulock, and that pairing forms the duo that eats the most minutes for the Islanders at five-on-five.

In addition to his value at even strength, Pelech, who is an acclaimed shutdown defenseman, spends nearly three minutes per night killing penalties for the Islanders. His success in his own end has helped the uber-talented Ilya Sorokin grow into one of the league’s top netminders.

Pelech’s overall value to coach Lane Lambert and the Islanders’ suffocating defensive structure cannot be overstated, meaning if the Islanders wish to remain in a playoff spot they’ll have to hope that Pelech’s stay on injured reserve is brief.

Pelech suffered this injury after the back of his head slammed into the boards during practice. That’s obviously a scary injury to sustain, so first and foremost getting Pelech’s personal health in order has to be the priority.

But given just how important he is to all of the Islanders’ plans this season, it’s likely that the folks on Long Island will be hoping his return to the ice comes sooner rather than later.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: New York Islanders

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With American Thanksgiving now behind us and the holiday season coming up, PHR continues its look at what teams are thankful for in 2022-23. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the New York Islanders.

Who are the Islanders thankful for?

Ilya Sorokin.

The Islanders have gotten strong bounce-back performances from their top players this season. Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson are clicking at a point-per-game rate down the middle, and Noah Dobson is continuing his play as a premier young defenseman in the NHL.

But even after putting up an elite performance on a mediocre Islanders squad last season, Sorokin has turned up the dial even further in 2022-23. Despite receiving much less goal support than his counterpart, Semyon Varlamov, the Islanders have managed to crack the .500 mark mainly due to Sorokin’s .925 save percentage and two shutouts. His 13.8 goals saved above expected (MoneyPuck) is third in the league and second in the conference behind Boston’s Linus Ullmark.

The team hasn’t retained the same defensive structure under Lane Lambert they were known for in previous seasons, but the Islanders still sit in the top 10 leaguewide in goals against. With Sorokin helping to mask those weaknesses, the Islanders remain in the playoff conversation as the new year approaches.

What are the Islanders thankful for?

A healthy team and a stable home.

Last season was a very, very public meltdown for the Islanders. A team that entered the season with top-10 odds to win the Stanley Cup had to scratch and claw just to finish above .500.

The biggest reason why? Perhaps it was the team’s 13-game road trip to start the season, which ended amid an 11-game losing streak throughout November and December. Injuries and COVID also took an extreme toll on the team around the same time.

This time around, it’s a different story. 10 players have played in all 30 games so far. Only one Islander – Zach Parise – played in all 82 games last season. They’ve also got a full season at UBS Arena, and their 9-6-0 home record is third in the Metropolitan Division behind New Jersey and Pittsburgh.

What would the Islanders be even more thankful for?

Stronger defense from depth players.

The Islanders have had a gigantic offensive resurgence, but some less structured play post-coaching change has limited them from rocketing back to contender status. While their actual goals against remain near the league’s top, their expected goals share at all situations (MoneyPuck) is at the opposite end of the spectrum (23rd in the league). Their more traditional possession numbers haven’t been anything outstanding either, and their bottom-six forward group is getting caved in at times.

Solving this problem likely lies on general manager Lou Lamoriello to alter the makeup of the team’s depth forwards. Their heralded fourth line of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck has been their best defensively, but the opposite is true for the unit of Jean-Gabriel Pageau, flanked by Parise and Kyle Palmieri. While Parise remains a valuable depth scorer, especially for his six-digit cap hit, Palmieri’s managed just nine points in 20 games and continues to battle injuries.

What should be on the Islanders’ holiday wishlist?

A true sniper for Barzal’s line.

Barzal’s playmaking has been at its most dynamic this season, notching 27 assists in just 30 games. But neither of his regular linemates, Josh Bailey nor Oliver Wahlstrom, are close to double-digit goal totals on the year.

The Islanders do have a deep attack, but it lacks any chemistry between a pair of true stars. A slam-dunk 30-goal scorer on Barzal’s wing could absolutely give New York’s offense the firepower necessary to approach the top 10 in league scoring. Lamoriello has hesitated to give up the assets required recently, though, whether on-ice or financial, to make such a move come to fruition.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Cal Clutterbuck Returns, Briefly Injured Again

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  • The Islanders welcomed back winger Cal Clutterbuck to their lineup in tonight’s game against New Jersey. The veteran had missed the last three games with an upper-body injury sustained a week and a half ago against Philadelphia.  Clutterbuck has just three points in 22 games but is second on the team in hits, averaging just under four per contest.  New York didn’t bother placing Clutterbuck on IR when he was injured so they didn’t have to make a corresponding roster move for him to return.  He was injured midway through the first period but did return for the second.

Kyle Palmieri, Cal Clutterbuck Remain Out Sunday

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  • New York Islanders head coach Lane Lambert provided a few updates on his injured players ahead of tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. As Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports, both Kyle Palmieri, who is on IR, and Cal Clutterbuck, who is not, remain out of the lineup tonight, Lambert adding that Palmieri has yet to resume skating. Both players are dealing with upper-body injuries. On top of the two veterans, Lambert added that another forward is a game-time decision, not elaborating any further than that. The Islanders had called up forwards Simon Holmstrom, Cole Bardreau, and Hudson Fasching to fill the void, but have since sent Bardreau back to the AHL, recalling Robin Salo earlier this afternoon.

New York Islanders Recall Robin Salo

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December 4: The route between Bridgeport, CT and Elmont, NY is rather traffic heavy, and Robin Salo can probably confirm. The Islanders announced this afternoon that Salo has once again been recalled from the AHL. It’s unclear if he’ll slot into the lineup tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, however he did play in Bridgeport’s game yesterday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Newsday’s Andrew Gross was the first to report the transaction.

November 30: Salo is headed back to Bridgeport, the Islanders announced Wednesday afternoon. He was a healthy scratch for the game against the Flyers, and the team will likely keep shuttling him up and down so that he isn’t sitting for too long. He hasn’t dressed for the NHL Islanders since October 20.

November 28: After going down to play in yesterday’s Bridgeport Islanders game, Robin Salo is right back with the big club today. The young defenseman will be available for tomorrow’s match against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Salo, 24, recorded an assist for Bridgeport, his first point of the season at the AHL level. He’s only played twice at the minor league level so far, suiting up four additional times for New York in a season of scratches.

Selected 46th overall in 2017, Salo now has 25 NHL appearances under his belt, but can’t seem to find a regular place in the Islanders lineup. With so many nights in the press box, getting a game in at the AHL level was necessary to keep Salo sharp.

Cole Bardreau Sent Back To Bridgeport

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  • Cole Bardreau’s latest stint with the Islanders didn’t last long as the team announced (Twitter link) that the winger has been returned to Bridgeport of the AHL. The 29-year-old did make his season debut last night, his first NHL action since the 2019-20 campaign.  Bardreau, for now at least, returns to the minors where he has nine goals in 19 games with Bridgeport but with Cal Clutterbuck still not skating, it’s possible that Bardreau is brought up again in the coming days.

Kyle Palmieri Placed On Injured Reserve

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The New York Islanders are down a pair of important forwards, placing Kyle Palmieri on injured reserve and ruling out Cal Clutterbuck with an upper-body injury. Clutterbuck is listed as day-to-day while Palmieri’s IR stint has been made retroactive to November 21, meaning he can come off whenever healthy.

In their place, Cole Bardreau and Hudson Fasching have been recalled from the minor leagues. The former hasn’t played an NHL game since the 2019-20 season and has just ten under his belt. This season with the Bridgeport Islanders, Bardreau has five goals and nine points. One of the players ahead of him in scoring is Fasching, another minor league veteran who has little NHL experience.

The 27-year-old forward played 11 games for the Arizona Coyotes last season and has 38 in his career, but scored his one and only goal back in 2015-16. Fasching adds a lot of sizes, but not a ton of physicality, and doesn’t look like a long-term replacement.

New York will have to hope Palmieri and Clutterbuck return rather soon, as while Bardreau and Fasching are capable minor league players, neither one is challenging for a full-time NHL role.

Scott Mayfield Hoping To Re-Sign With Islanders

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Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield has been one of the better bargains in the league in recent seasons.  A bit of a late bloomer, he opted to take a five-year deal with a cap hit of just $1.45MM, giving him some much-desired stability in the process.  Since then, the 30-year-old has become an important part of their top four, logging nearly 20 minutes a night in a shutdown role.  A pending UFA, Mayfield is now well-positioned to potentially more than double that price tag on his next deal and he made it clear to Newsday’s Andrew Gross that his desire is to remain with New York.  The Isles already have over $73MM in commitments for next season per CapFriendly with a handful of roster spots to fill so they should have enough cap room to keep him in the fold unless GM Lou Lamoriello decides to shake things up next summer.

New York Islanders Recall Simon Holmstrom

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The New York Islanders have announced that forward prospect Simon Holmstrom has been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders.

This move comes due to the fact that veteran winger Kyle Palmieri is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

This recall puts Holmstrom, the team’s 2019 first-round pick, in a position to make his NHL debut. The 21-year-old Swede is a big, speedy forward who has been developing at the AHL level since he was drafted by the Islanders.

In his rookie campaign in North America, handling the AHL seemed too tall a task for Holmstrom. He scored just 15 points in 46 games and struggled to make a consistent nightly impact.

Those scoring woes persisted through the pandemic-interrupted 2020-21 campaign, but last year Holmstrom seemed to find his groove. In 68 games he scored a healthy 12 goals and 43 points, putting him in a position to earn a call-up for the first time in his career.

That call-up didn’t come last year, but tonight it’s finally come after he’s spent fifteen additional games in the AHL. He has five points in 15 games so far this year and will look to impress Islanders brass and hope to earn consideration for a more lasting role on the team beyond being an injury fill-in.

The loss of Palmieri, 31, is not an insignificant one. The veteran winger is a trusted secondary scorer for coach Lane Lambert, and while his six goals and nine points don’t jump off the page, they place him just outside the team’s top-five scorers.

While the team will undoubtedly appreciate getting a look at Holmstrom next to franchise pivot Mat Barzal, the Islanders are likely hoping that Palmieri’s absence is a brief one.

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