Patrick Roy had a firm message for NY Islanders D Samuel Bolduc after costly turnover

New York Islanders defenseman Samuel Bolduc has gone from a promising young defenseman playing in the post-season to a player who needs to show head coach Patrick Roy a lot more if he wants to stick in the NHL.

Bolduc was called up on Saturday along with Grant Hutton and was in the lineup, with Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly out. With the Isles trailing 1-0, Bolduc was stripped by Reilly Smith, which led to Vincent Trochek’s goal, which gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

“He needs to be better if he wants to play for us,” said Roy of the young defenseman. Bolduc ended up playing a team-low 5:56 TOI. “If he wants to play in the NHL, he must understand and step up. He’s a good hockey, he has all the tools, now he just has to figure it out.”

Bolduc is a two-time AHL All-Star and looked like a potential top-six role when he played well down the stretch two seasons ago as the Islanders clinched a playoff berth on the final day of the regular season. However, he struggled during the playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes and was benched after playing the first two games.

Last season, he was the team's seventh defenseman to start the season, but after the acquisitions of Mike Reilly and Robert Bortuzzo, he had trouble breaking into the lineup regularly. He finished the season with two goals and three assists in 34 games. This year, he was beaten out by Dennis Cholowski and started the season in Bridgeport, where he had one goal and four assists in nine games before Saturday's call-ups.

The soon-to-be 24-year-old has the tools and skillsets to be a regular defenseman, but he has to make the most of his opportunities or else he risks of being an afterthought in the organization.