New York Islanders 3 Veteran Defender to Bring In On Tryouts

1 of 4

WINNIPEG, MB – JANUARY 18: Toby Enstrom #39 of the Winnipeg Jets battles with Matt Duchene #9 of the Colorado Avalanche in front of Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck #30 in first period action in an NHL game at the MTS Centre on January 18, 2016 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Marianne Helm/Getty Images) /

Going into the 2018-19 season, the New York Islanders only have six defenders on the roster. If they want to test the waters on a veteran D, here’s three suggestions.

At the time of writing the New York Islanders only have six defenders on the active roster according to Cap Friendly. Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuk, Thomas Hickey, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, and Scott Mayfield complete the Islanders blueline.

Teams generally carry seven defenders on the active 23-man roster. Six dress for the game day roster and the seventh man sits on the scratch pad and watches the game from the press box. That’s generally how it goes in the NHL.

So with that being said, the New York Islanders are one man short.

If the Islanders are going to add another defenseman to the roster, ideally it would be Devon Toews. Toews has spent the last two seasons in the AHL with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He’s scored 67 points in 106 games and generally looked impressive.

But after missing most of the 2017-18 season due to a shoulder injury the Isles might not be ready to give him a roster spot yet. They’ll wait to see what he can do at camp. If he can impress the spot is his. But he’ll have to compete against players that will be looking for NHL deals.

As is typically done during training camp, the Islanders will likely bring in some veteran free agents to try out for NHL spots. A few names still remain unsigned around the NHL that could be interesting fits.