Islanders Thomas Hickey return changes trade deadline plans, again

It seems that New York Islanders Thomas Hickey could be back this weekend in the AHL. Changing whatever plans Lou Lamoriello had for the deadline again.

NHL veteran Thomas Hickey had to make way for Noah Dobson at the start of the season. Dobson is the New York Islanders promising young defenseman and was too good to keep in juniors for another year.

Hickey was sent down to the AHL, but the thought was that he’d be up when the Islanders needed him. Unfortunately, when Adam Pelech went down with a season-ending injury Hickey had been out with an injury since the end of November.

But now it seems that Hickey could finally return to the Sound Tigers lineup, which could change how Lou Lamoriello approaches the trade deadline.

Veteran D Is In The House

According to CT Post’s Michael Fornabaio, Hickey could play as early as this weekend with a busy Sound Tigers schedule coming up.

That’s good news for Lou Lamoriello who’s been looking to bring in a veteran defenseman to be the seventh man on his blueline at the trade deadline. Because he might not need to find one now.

Names like Ron Hainsey, Andy Greene, and Brenden Dillon have all been bandied about in one way or another as trade deadline possibilities for the Islanders. But if an option presents itself within the organization, like Thomas Hickey, you better believe Lou will take it.

If Hickey comes back and is good to go. You know that Lou will swap Hickey for Sebastian Aho in a second.

With Kieffer Bellows seemingly giving the Isles third line the jolt in the arm they needed Lou might have to scrap his search for a third-line center, and now he might have to scratch his search for a veteran d-man.

Want your voice heard? Join the Eyes On Isles team!

Write for us!

Not having to move pieces for a defensive veteran gives Lou more ammunition to land a top-six forward that the Islanders have needed since the puck dropped on the 2019-2020 season.