Internal option for bolstering NY Islanders defense suffers injury at Bridgeport

If New York Islanders fans were starting to wonder whether Isaiah George might soon get another look on Long Island, that moment will have to wait.

The Islanders’ young defenseman is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, according to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, after suffering a frightening spill this weekend while playing for the Bridgeport Islanders. George collided awkwardly with the boards while attempting a defensive-zone puck retrieval and needed assistance to leave the ice. Per Isles in the Sound’s Kenny Kaminsky, George did not leave under his own power.

The timing is particularly cruel. George had only recently returned from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for much of November and early December, and there was growing optimism that he could re-enter the conversation as a depth call-up option for the Islanders. Instead, another injury has halted that momentum just as it was starting to build.

While George’s absence doesn’t immediately impact the Islanders’ NHL blue line, it does affect the organization’s flexibility. With injuries and lineup shuffling already a theme this season, losing one of the system’s more NHL-ready defensemen removes an option the front office would prefer to have available on short notice.

Drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, George quickly established himself as one of the Islanders’ more intriguing defensive prospects. He entered last season ranked fifth in the organization’s prospect pool by Elite Prospects and was placed fourth by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler in January, a reflection of how close evaluators believed he was to contributing at the next level.

For now, patience is required. George’s trajectory toward Long Island is, for now, delayed. And for a prospect who seemed close to knocking on the NHL door after flashing on the scene last season, that wait will extend a bit longer.