Islanders can’t afford to have Matthew Schaefer fighting

The sight of New York Islanders star defenseman Matthew Schaefer trading punches with Luke Hughes over the weekend made plenty of headlines.

The fisticuffs were a reactionary move. They weren’t about trying to establish dominance in the sandbox. It was about standing up for teammates and showing that messing around with the Islanders is a bad idea.

Personally, watching that bout, as exciting as it was at first glance, made me wince once it was over. In fact, I thanked the Heavens that Schaefer didn’t take off his gloves.

There’s a simple reason for my overreaction. One bad move and the season could have been over for Schaefer.

No, that’s not a hyperbolic statement. The thought isn’t meant to inject fear in readers. And it also isn’t about coaxing the Isles into bubble-wrapping Schaefer.

It’s all about practicality.

You see, the odds of getting hurt in a fight are surprisingly high. It should be something that NHL betting sites should track. That’s because, when you look at the history, several players have seen their seasons derailed by a bad fight.

Perhaps the most obvious example is crosstown rival Matt Rempe. The New York Rangers resident tough guy shattered his thumb in a fight against former NHL heavyweight Ryan Reaves. The bout led to two surgeries and two dozen games missed.

Now, you might think, well, that’s Rempe. He’s a fourth-liner, so it doesn’t really make a difference. Sure, that’s a fair statement. That’s why the Islanders can’t afford to have Matthew Schaefer fighting. Just imagine what would happen if he struck a guy’s helmet, broke his hand, and had to miss a handful of games while he heals.

That’s just the injury on its own. Then, there are the lingering consequences to consider. Schaefer could end up gritting through a tough season, potentially seeing his ability diminished because of an avoidable injury.

A Schaefer injury could derail Islanders playoff chances

This preseason, St. Louis Blues defenseman Logan Mailloux got into a preseason scuffle. The altercation led to a shoulder injury that caused him to miss six weeks of action.

Can you imagine what six weeks off the ice would mean to the Islanders’ playoff chances? They’re already bad enough to begin with.

MoneyPuck currently shows the Islanders with a 39.7% chance of making the postseason. That’s considering the otherworldly goaltending from Ilya Sorokin and the relative lack of major injuries. While Mathew Barzal has yet to play this season, the core, as a whole, has remained pretty much intact.

Imagine what a Schaefer injury would do to the Islanders’ playoff chances. How bad would six weeks off be like?

That’s the sort of thing that the organization just can’t afford. The team depends on the 19-year-old to be the sort of piece that keeps the team humming along. Sure, the Islanders can survive without Schaefer.

But why risk taking a needless chance when the best thing to do is just to tone down the exuberance?

That’s something that Schaefer needs to factor into the way he can measure his responses on the ice.

Schaefer deserves credit for mixing it up

It’s worth noting that Matthew Schaefer deserves a ton of credit for taking on Luke Hughes. Fighting Hughes isn’t the real issue. It’s the fact that Schaefer wasn’t afraid to get in there and mix it up.

That’s the sort of thing that team leaders do. It doesn’t matter how old or how big they are. It’s an attitude thing that you want to see your top guys do.

That’s why Schaefer gets two gold stars on his forehead. He showed that he can handle himself well enough. Again, that’s the sort of thing you want to see from your leaders. And, by extension, it’s the sort of pushback you want to see from a team as a whole.

There is so much talk in the NHL about teams lacking pushback. It’s evident when teams practically give up.

A good example of that came last season when Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews saw his season end after a knee-on-knee collision in a game against the Anaheim Ducks. All of the guys on the ice stood around, watching their captain wince in pain, while none did anything.

That would have been a perfect time to unload on the culprit, Radko Gudas. Instead, vengeance had to wait for a later date when the two teams met.

And that was only after the Toronto media unloaded on the Maple Leafs’ lack of character at such a crucial juncture of their season.

That’s why seeing the Islanders stand up on Saturday night was a good thing to see. It’s just that the vengeance may be better left to other guys who are better suited for the role.

Islanders could use a resident enforcer

In years prior, the Islanders were not a team anyone wanted to mess with. That fourth line of Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck, and Matt Martin was something to be reckoned with. They were the guys who kept everyone honest on the ice every night. The guys who write the prediction market betting guide knew that Clutterbuck and Martin were no pushovers.

If anyone wanted to get out of line, the Isles had guys who could put anyone back in their place.

That’s something that the Isles need to bring back. While I’m not advocating for an “enforcer” in the traditional sense, the team could use a guy or two known for their penchant for roughing things up.

It’s not about actual fighting or menacing. It’s actually about deterrence. Knowing that there’s a Matt Martin out there can be enough to make even dirty players think twice about doing something regrettable.

All in all, the hope is that Schaefer can rein in his exuberance and keep a level head as much as possible. Sure, there are times when everything goes out the window, and a hard answer is necessary. But the more the Islanders' top defenseman can stay away from those situations, the better he and the team will be in the long run.

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