New York Islanders Pros and Cons of Calling Up Josh Ho-Sang

Cons

First con, what if putting a top-six player in a bottom six position doesn’t pay off? The Isles did the exact same to Michael Dal Colle just a month ago didn’t work at all. Dal Colle played on the fourth line and did nothing with his opportunity after being a point-per-game player in the AHL.

The same could very well happen to Josh Ho-Sang. His defensive deficiencies could very well be on full display to the detriment of his team.

And what does a failed call-up to do a player who’s already had a difficult ride within the organization? Who knows how Ho-Sang responds to another unnecessary set back in his career.

Second, who says one player can change the fortunes of a team’s power play? Josh Ho-Sang might have all the qualities that the New York Islanders need for a successful power play but he’s still just a single player. If the four other players around him don’t respond the PP goes nowhere.

Last, making him start 60 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone turns out to be a bad idea. Giveaways in his own zone or exiting the zone early for a quick breakout might just cause more harm to the team than the possible benefits.

Josh Ho-Sang might just need to be in a position where he can succeed, and that means spending as little time in the defensive zone as possible.

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Josh Ho-Sang should be playing in the NHL, at least in my opinion. His offensive upside is just too great to be buried in the AHL. With a coach like Barry Trotz behind the bench, the defensive deficiencies in Ho-Sang’s game can easily be coached out of him.