The Islanders will be without Anthony Duclair for a while.
General manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters before the team took to the ice for Monday's practice that the winger's injury would be “more long-term than short-term at this point,” but it would not be season-ending. He said it would be.
The exact timing is still unknown, and the islanders are awaiting the results of MRI and X-ray tests.
Duclair It looks like he injured his right leg. In Saturday's game against Montreal, he fell way behind in the third period and couldn't get back up.
He was rescued without being able to put any weight on his right leg.
Duclair, who signed with the Islanders this summer, already has two goals and one assist in the first five games of the season and appears to be building chemistry with top liners Matt Barzal and Bo Horvat. Ta.
This top unit, with Duclair and three high-end skill players, was one of the biggest reasons to believe the Islanders could go from a team on the fringe of the playoffs to a legitimate contender this season.
The impact on the lineup is still not 100 percent clear, as the Islanders were waiting for Julien Gauthier to clear waivers before calling anyone up.
However, during Monday's practice, Simon Holmstrom got the first crack at Duclair's position on the top line, with Casey Cizikas moving up from the fourth line to Holmstrom's third line position.
Pierre Engvall and Hudson Fassing, who were surprisingly unable to make the team out of camp, are likely to be called up.
If it's Engvall, the Islanders would either have to officially place Duclair on long-term injured reserve (meaning a minimum of 24 days and 10 games before returning) or free up space to accommodate Engvall's cap hit. I'll have to find some other way to free it up. .
Lamoriello told reporters that Matt Martin, who is practicing with the Islanders on a tryout contract, is not being considered for a full-time contract.
