Last chance for Islanders players to earn a roster spot
Oliver Wahlstrom as Islanders training camp Credit: Rick Kopstein
The Islanders’ fourth preseason game and first at UBS Arena on Friday night against the Devils marks a delineation point.
“Tonight will be the last game where we’re going to evaluate guys,” Patrick Roy said before faceoff. “I’d like to have, the last two games, our full lineup.
So the first cuts to the 57-man training camp roster are expected Saturday as Roy said he will meet with president/general manager Lou Lamoriello to “see where we are.”
The Islanders conclude their preseason by hosting the Flyers on Monday and the Rangers next Friday. The regular season opens against Utah at UBS Arena six days later.
Liam Foudy, William Dufour, Maxim Tsyplakov, Fredrik Karlstrom, Julien Gauthier and Oliver Wahlstrom are forwards in the lineup trying to earn an NHL spot while Samuel Bolduc, Travis Mitchell, Dennis Cholowski and Grant Hutton are defensemen fighting for a job.
And then there’s Matt Martin, the longtime fourth-liner attending camp on a professional tryout offer after not attracting a contract this offseason as an unrestricted free agent. He will skate with longtime linemate Casey Cizikas and Kyle MacLean against the Devils, the latter two expected to comprise two-thirds of this season’s fourth line.
Does Martin fall into the group of those being evaluated? Could Friday mark his last game in an Islanders’ jersey? Or does his history with the Islanders mean he’ll get a longer look?
“This is a good question,” Roy said. “And that’s probably a question Lou will have to answer. Like I said before camp, I have tons of respect for him and he’s a player that we care a lot about. I think Lou and him had a good talk and I think it was clear what he was coming here for and it will be up to Lou to decide if he’s going to start the season with us or not.”
The speedy Foudy, selected 18th overall in 2018 by the Blue Jackets and who has seven goals and 15 assists in 102 NHL games, is among the forwards who has had a strong camp and was dressing for his third preseason game.
“I’ve never really played this type of style before,” Foudy said. “I think it’s really structured and everyone’s together as a unit and we work triangles out there.”
Notes & quotes: Right wing Hudson Fasching (lower body) is day to day. He has one assist in one preseason game…Defenseman Marshall Warren of Laurel Hollow likely will be re-assigned to the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport after not playing in a preseason game, though he will dress for warmups for Thursday night’s 2-0 loss in Philadelphia. “He did a really good camp,” Roy said. “Every meeting we had, everybody had just positive things to say about him.” . . . Roy flip-flopped wings in the practice for the non-game participants, moving Pierre Engvall to second-line center Brock Nelson’s left wing with Kyle Palmieri while Simon Holmstrom skated on third-line center Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s right wing with Anders Lee. “We want Pageau and Holmstrom killing penalties together,” Roy said. “So maybe it’s easier that way if they play together.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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