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Islanders Cal Clutterbuck Is Still Weeks Away From Returning

By Matt O'Leary

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 23: Cal Clutterbuck #15 of the New York Islanders looks at his family during warm ups prior to the game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Barclays Center on December 23, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 23: Cal Clutterbuck #15 of the New York Islanders looks at his family during warm ups prior to the game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Barclays Center on December 23, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Cal Clutterbuck, who has been out for six weeks is back to skating on his own but New York Islanders HC, Barry Trotz says it’ll be a while.

On December 19, the New York Islanders finally snapped their losing streak to the Boston Bruins, winning 3-2 in a shootout. That win came at a price though, as Cal Clutterbuck suffered a freak injury in that game.

He was accidentally cut with a skate blade near his right wrist and has missed 16 games since. He is now back on the ice but it’s going to be a while before he’s ready to return.

He’s skating for the first time, but he isn’t shooting the puck or anything like that. Barry Trotz said that Clutterbuck is still weeks away, which is a problem for the Islanders team. Since losing Clutter, the Isles are 6-7-3 in the 16 games since December 19.

Leo Komarov has been okay in the Cal Clutterbuck role on the fourth line but the line isn’t as effective as it is with Cal on it. Also, defensively the Isles haven’t been anywhere close to the juggernaut that they usually are.

In 10 of the 16 games, they allowed three goals or more and they’ve allowed six goals in a game three times over that span. Is Clutter really the glue that keeps that defensive structure together?

Regardless, the Isles are going to have to figure something out for the next few weeks as he’s on the shelf.

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