As the New York Islanders return home after a lengthy road trip, one player is likely to return to the lineup after a lengthy hiatus.
Defenseman Adam Pelech took part in line rushes at the team’s morning skate today, a sign that all but confirms he will play tonight versus the Vancouver Canucks.
Pelech, 29, has missed the last 20 games, sitting on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury that he endured against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 24.
The injury Pelech suffered was the first in a long line the Islanders endured on their backend. Only minutes after Pelech was originally hurt, Sebastian Aho went down with an upper-body injury of his own and spent eight games on the shelf.
Since then, Scott Mayfield, Ryan Pulock and the recently acquired Robert Bortuzzo have all missed time as well. Pulock and Bortuzzo still remain out.
With their roster already at the maximum of 23 players, the Islanders will need to clear a spot in order to activate Pelech off long-term injured reserve.
The most likely option is goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who exited a start in Colorado last week with a lower-body injury and has yet to dress for a game since.
As for who’s spot Pelech will take in the lineup, the unlucky candidate appears to be Samuel Bolduc.
The young defenseman played in all but one game since Pelech went down, averaging 14:43 of ice time per game. Although none were particularly flashy, Bolduc has had moments of undeniable improvement in the recent matchups.
Nevertheless, with the Islanders now holding a surplus of healthy defensemen, he’ll once again be a healthy scratch.
The Islanders welcome the Canucks to UBS Arena tonight at 7:30 p.m. EST as part of a brief two-game homestand.
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