Playing Matthew Schaefer on the right side opens up options along the NY Islanders' blue line

The NY Islanders tried to ease Matthew Schaefer into his rookie season, but it quickly became obvious that the 18-year-old defenseman was as good as advertised and quickly started leading the team in ice time. Starting the year on the left side of the third pairing, there were times when he was playing on the top pairing on the right side.

Schaefer takes reps on the right side at training camp

Yesterday, head coach Peter DeBoer said, "It's coming," regarding Schaefer playing on the right side during training camp. Well, that time was today, with Schaefer paired with Adam Pelech. With the organization being incredibly deep on the left side of defense, playing Schaefer on the right side opens more doors for other blue liners to get into the lineup.

"I want to introduce him to it," DeBoer said today of Schaefer playing on the right. "It's not the first time he's played right. Like I said, he ends up on that side a lot in games when you watch him anyway. I think the rest of our lineup will dictate that. Who elevates here in training camp, who plays well - do we need him on the right because of the rest of the D is rolled out? Are we hit with any injuries? Just the familiarity with having had some reps on teh right so that we have that option in all those situations is the idea."

Having that option today in camp allowed two prospects to be paired up with NHL defensemen, as Kasahwn Aitcheson and Tony DeAngelo played together, while Isaiah George and Scott Mayfield were matched up.

Aitcheson and George are two defensemen who appear to be ready to become everyday NHLers, and having Schaefer play on the right side opens up the door for the two of them to earn that privilege.

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