After Johnny Boychuk suffered an injury in Wednesday night’s 3-2 overtime win over Buffalo, Sebastian Aho gets the nod from Bridgeport to help the New York Islanders thin blueline.
With Calvin de Haan’s season over, the New York Islanders were dealt another very tough piece of news after closing a five-game homestand.
This afternoon, Arthur Staple of Newsday tweeted out one thing that Islander fans were not ready–or eager–to hear.
#Isles have placed Johnny Boychuk (lower body) on IR and recalled Sebastian Aho from Bridgeport. Boychuk considered week to week as of now.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) December 28, 2017
Sebastian Aho, and not Devon Toews, received the call from Bridgeport to help the Islanders’ struggles on defense.
While it’s understandable that some will be upset with passing over Toews for the call, don’t be. The AHL’s fastest skater and one of the most surprising draft pickups will get his time sooner than we might think. Remember that teams expand their rosters after the trade deadline (which falls on Feb. 26 this season).
Aho was the #Isles 5th-round pick in June as an overage selection. Has 20 points in 29 games with BPT. Good puck mover, has shown a lot of smarts in first North American season following four years in Swedish League.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) December 28, 2017
The 21-year-old Aho will be the first defensive recall for the Islanders this season, and the silver lining will be to get an extended look at what’s to come in the Islanders depth.
However, with the defense ranking as low as it has (31st in goals against, 26th in shots against, 30th in penalty kill), it might just be time for general manager Garth Snow to start exploring some short-term options.
In the meantime, frequent scratches such as Dennis Seidenberg and Thomas Hickey will continue to see more ice time. For the Islanders, it’s fortunate they have as much depth as they do. But is it enough to help keep turning things around?
