This move comes after Ho-Sang was surprisingly left off the team’s training camp roster.
It looks like the New York Islanders might try to cut ties with Josh Ho-Sang again. On Sunday, the Islanders placed the soon-to-be 25-year-old right winger on waivers.
There's a massive group of players on the NHL waiver wire today, including Louis Domingue (CGY), Adam Cracknell (EDM) and Seth Griffith (EDM), Noah Juulsen (MTL), Alex Belzile (MTL), Charlie Lindgren (MTL), Xavier Ouellet (MTL), Jordan Weal (MTL) and Josh Ho-Sang (NYI).
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) January 10, 2021
This comes less than two weeks after it was revealed that the Islanders would not be inviting Ho-Sang to training camp for the 2020-21 season.
Ho-Sang’s tenure with the Islanders has been nothing but disastrous.
There have been questions surrounding the promising forward’s attitude since he was drafted by the Islanders with the 28th overall pick in 2014, and he hasn’t been able to do enough to earn a regular job with the team.
In 53 NHL games, Ho-Sang has registered seven goals and 17 assists. Ho-Sang did request a trade in 2019, but general manager Lou Lamoriello was unable to work something out that would benefit the team.
He was placed on waivers in 2019, but cleared them, resulting in him being sent to the AHL. If he clears waivers again this time around, he’ll be Bridgeport-bound again.
This move might work to the benefit of Ho-Sang, who clearly is in need of a fresh start somewhere new. Because Ho-Sang’s talent is there, he’s fully capable of earning a starting job on another NHL team.
After all his agent, Patrick Bedell, after finding out that Ho-Sang hadn’t been invited to New York’s training camp said that his client intends to force his way onto an NHL roster.
It’s been argued that Ho-Sang hasn’t been treated fairly by the Islanders and that it would be a tough decision to make, but cutting ties with him might be the most just thing to do.
The fact that he hasn’t been claimed off waivers before isn’t encouraging, but who knows what could happen this time.
It’s unfortunate that this hasn’t worked out for the Islanders, who inherently wasted a first-round pick and haven’t been able get anything in return for Ho-Sang but if he is claimed, this could very well end up being in his best interest.
