Are the NY Islanders comfortable with Samuel Bolduc as their 7th defenseman?

Entering the off-season, the NY Islanders had little room to improve their defensive unit. With much of the blue line locked up long-term (Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield) or a bright part of the team's future (Noah Dobson, Alexander Romanov), there was no need to jump in the defensive pool in free agency

The one spot open on the left side was filled by Mike Reilly, who re-signed with the Islanders, agreeing to a 1-year, $1.25M deal.

Outside the Islanders' opening night blue line, Samuel Bolduc is currently slated to be the team's seventh defenseman. But is that something Lou Lamoriello and Patrick Roy are comfortable with heading into the season?

Thrust into the lineup early in the season as the Islanders' defensive unit was battling the injury bug, Bolduc saw his name on the team sheet often through the first three months of the season, appearing in 34 games, scoring twice, and adding three assists.

Once Roy took over for Lane Lambert as head coach, Bolduc seldom saw the ice for the rest of the season playing only four games under the new bench boss.

At 6'4" and 220 lbs, Bolduc has all the physical attributes to become an everyday NHL defenseman. He's shown flashes of the player who put up 35 points (10 G, 25 A) in 56 games during his last saeason with the Bridgeport Islanders. But outside of those few glimpses, he's looked mostly timid and at times, out of place.

Who else is available?

The Islanders don't have much cap room to add anybody of significance as a seventh or eighth defenseman. Justin Schultz and Marco Scandella are two defensemen still without a team, but the Islanders wouldn't be able to offer them much in terms of money or playing time.

There are options on the Bridgeport Islanders roster, with Grant Hutton being the most likely candidate. Hutton played two games with the Islanders last season, but they elected more often to play Sebastian Aho on his off-side rather than recall Hutton.

It's most likely that the Islanders will enter the season with Bolduc slotted into that seventh defenseman role, and if they feel they can upgrade at some point in the season, Lamoriello will likely look to make a move similar to the one where the acquired Robert Bortuzzo for a 7th-round pick.