The New York Islanders announced today that they have recalled defensive prospect Adam Pelech from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers today. Why? It’s not clear yet.
With the New York Islanders at the tail end of their five-day bye week the team called up Adam Pelech from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers as the team heads to Colorado for their first game of 2017.
The recall likely happened today as the team will take part in an optional and team voted on practice before taking the ice for their first game in six calendar days.
But aside from answering “why today” it isn’t quite clear why they called anyone up and why specifically Adam Pelech was recalled.
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The Islanders haven’t announced that any of the regular six defencemen have picked up an injury during the off-week. Nor is there any inkling that any of those six are destined for a healthy scratch.
So He Just Sits?
So then what could it be? Is Pelech just going to fill roster numbers and take Jean-Francois Berube’s old seat as the perma-scratch? I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
Capuano seemingly likes his defensive pairings the way they are. He hasn’t made any changes to them since Dennis Seidenberg came back from injury at the start of December. And with the Isles winning four of their last five, why change it for no reason?
Hope this is a move to showcase Pelech to the Avs as a starting point to Duchene talks #isles https://t.co
For now, Pelech is going to sit and wait, for now. From here on in the schedule gets pretty packed for the Islanders, including ten back to backs between Jan 7th and the end of the season. Contrast that with five in the first 36 games of the season.
Guys are going to get tired or hurt and have some off nights. Pelech is going to be needed here on in. He’s also in the final year of his three-year ELC and is expansion draft eligible. The Isles need to know what they have in Pelech.
The Islanders need to know if they still see that top four defencemen, or do they see a player who’s ceiling might be a fifth or sixth defensive slot? Do they need to protect him or should they leave him exposed for George McPhee out in Vegas?
He won’t be in the lineup day-in-day-out (unless there’s an injury). But the Isles are going to give him some game time to figure out exactly what they have.
