Training camp on Long Island will be even more competitive as veteran defenseman Luca Sbisa joins the New York Islanders on a PTO.
As top defensive prospects like Devon Toews, Sebastian Aho, and even Noah Dobson try to impress and make the New York Islanders out of training camp, the team has made their road to a roster spot a little more difficult.
Saturday, news came out that the team is bringing back defenseman Dennis Seidenberg on a PTO (professional tryout contract) and now on Monday, Luca Sbisa, who was seen skating with the Islanders, has confirmed that he will also be attending training camp on a PTO.
Sbisa says he’s attending #Isles camp on a PTO.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) September 10, 2018
Sbisa spent last season with the Vegas Golden Knights, playing 30 games as a depth defenseman. In those 30 games, the 28-year-old scored two goals and 14 points. He added another four points (all assists) in 12 playoff games.
Prior to being claimed by Vegas in the Expansion Draft, Sbisa spent three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, parts of five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, and one season with the team that drafted him 19th overall in 2008, the Philadelphia Flyers.
In total, Sbisa has played in 495 regular-season games scoring 18 goals and 102 points over that span. In 32 postseason games, the Swiss defenseman has scored one goal and eight points.
The Islanders now have 10 players with a solid chance at earning a roster spot in Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuk, Thomas Hickey, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, Toews, Aho, Seidenberg, and Sbisa.
The first six names mentioned are near locks given not only their contract status but based on the fact that they have NHL experience. That being said, the only three players that have a spot in the lineup secured are Leddy, Boychuk, and Pulock (probably Hickey too).
The others on that list will be battling it out for a spot on the third defensive pairing and on the roster. It’s going to be an intense and competitive training camp and adding Sbisa to the mix only makes it more competitive.
