It seems the Islanders will be without Cal Ritchie for some time.
Before their match against the Predators at UBS Arena on Saturday, coach Patrick Roy mentioned that Ritchie is going to be out during the Olympic break because of a lower-body injury.
They have four games left before a three-week pause, and then they’ll take a little more than a week off before resuming in Montreal on February 26th.
Roy shared that Ritchie made an attempt to skate solo on Friday, but it didn’t go well, so he’ll be off the ice for now.
It’s a bit murky how Ritchie got injured since he played up until the final moments of last Saturday’s game against the Sabers.
For the time being, this injury gives the Islanders some flexibility, but it could create a tough decision regarding the lineup once the rookie centerman is back.
With Ondrej Palat joining through a trade and Bo Horvat returning from injury, it’s not exactly clear how Ritchie will fit back in.
Max Shabanov, who has been available for most games this season, has been absent for two out of three since Palat’s trade, only playing when Casey Cizikas was sick on Thursday.
Ritchie typically plays as a second or third-line center, but he might have to transition to the wing—or the Islanders will need to shift someone else to make room.
It’s uncertain which winger might sit out, especially while the fourth line of Mark Gatcomb, Cizikas, and Kyle McClain is performing well.
Jonathan Drouin hasn’t scored in a while, but the Islanders may appreciate other elements of his play too much to leave him out of the lineup.
How things play out when Ritchie is ready might lead to the Islanders sending him back to AHL Bridgeport to prevent him from losing too much game time.
Cizikas missed Thursday’s victory over the Rangers due to an illness, but he has since returned.
Shabanov didn’t play as he was a healthy scratch.
He has taken on most of Matthew Schaefer’s penalty kill minutes since Carson Soucy was traded.
While they haven’t specifically targeted how much time Schaefer plays each night—averaging 24:02—Roy has utilized him heavily. He did note that lightening his penalty minutes could be beneficial.
“He’s 18 years old and playing over 25 to 27 minutes. It may impact his performance eventually,” Roy noted. “It’s great for him to go right into 5-on-5 and power play situations.”
