New York Islanders Have A Tough Decision to Make on Isaiah George's Future

The New York Islanders have been labeled as a veteran team with general manager, Lou Lamoriello taking pride in keeping this group together long-term. The NHL has rapidly developed into a young man's game with more speed and less room for older, slower players. Isaiah George has stepped into the big club and has not missed a beat, which is impressive for a 20-year-old. After 19 games, he has become a healthy scratch by head coach, Patrick Roy. Is a return to Bridgeport in the cards for George?

The Islanders have been hit hard with the injury bug this year after Adam Pelech, Semyon Varlamov, Mathew Barzal, and Anthony Duclair have had extended periods on the shelf. The team is finally seeing a plethora of returning injured players which creates "good" problems to have for management.

The fourth-round draft pick in the 2022 NHL Draft came into a difficult spot with the team struggling and consistency on the blue line after Samuel Bolduc failed to provide stability as a call-up from the AHL the last few seasons.

Dennis Cholowski has also stepped up and provided consistency while Pelech and Mike Reilly, two left-handed defenders, were out from injury. Cholowski has played in four more games than George this year. Cholowski was a former first-round draft selection of the Detroit Red Wings but has had a difficult time staying in the league after posting a minus -47 rating in Detroit. After brief stints in Washington and Seattle, Cholowski ended up in Bridgeport last season.

Cholowski is a nice depth player for Roy, but his ceiling is far from that of George's. Cholowski will get himself a contract with the organization and plugin for Bolduc while joining Grant Hutton as the seventh defenseman of the future.

For now, this organization needs to take a leap of faith toward youth and players with the skill level of George. The mistakes will be made as they are with any young player, but the experience and confidence will outweigh the mistakes. Another consideration is the salary cap situation for the Islanders. This team will need to ingrain cheaper youth into this lineup to stay cap-compliant.

Bridgeport has been a disaster this season and it may not be the best place for a young, developing prospect right now, especially if the prospect has shown he can play at the NHL level. Despite George playing fewer games than Cholowski, George has had a higher average time on ice with 17:40 to Cholowski's 12:47.

This organization needs to stop playing it safe and take some risks that will pave the way for the future. With George, it will not be a disaster to go back to Bridgeport, but it is not necessary.