New York Islanders: Dennis Seidenberg will attend camp on PTO

Veteran Dennis Seidenberg will attend New York Islanders camp on a PTO. Seidenberg is looking to play his 16th season in the NHL this year.

Dennis Seidenberg has a reputation for blocking New York Islanders defensive prospects. He was brought in before the 2016-2017 and it was assumed he’d be the seventh d-man. That wasn’t the case.

He played in 73 games, while Ryan Pulock at age 22 played in one (1) game the entire season. After a surprising year, the Islanders doubled down on the veteran and brought him back on a one-year deal.

He was flat out bad. In 28 games he had five assists, a minus nine and a career-low 42.6 CF percentage. After a brutal 2017-2018 season I thought we were free of being exposed to Dennis Seidenberg playing hockey.

Not so fast. Apparently, Seidenberg has a PTO and will attend camp with a chance to make the Islanders roster. To that, I say why?

Will Lou Lamoriello let Seidenberg block a defensive prospect for the third year in a row? I get that it would potentially be for a seventh d-man role but at 37 I don’t think he’s suited for that role.

Instead, one of Adam Pelech or Scott Mayfield should have that role with Devon Toews getting regular playing time. Toews is 24, and we don’t know what he is at the NHL level yet. Mayfield and Pelech, although relatively young, we know what they are. Toews is a question mark.

Some might even consider him a blue-chip prospect. If that’s the case, then he should be playing every day with Pelech or Mayfield serving as the seventh guy eating popcorn in the press box.

In 2018, Seidenberg shouldn’t be anywhere near an NHL team. He’s done, just like Jason Chimera last year, father time has caught up to him.

While a PTO, on the surface level, is harmless, it’s important to note that this could lead to Seidenberg getting a chance over a Toews or a Sebastian Aho at the NHL level. The mere thought of that is scary.