Expect few surprises with the New York Islanders defensive core at training camp this fall

The New York Islanders enter training camp with its blue line essentially set in stone. Fans shouldn't expect many surprises beyond the battle for the seventh defenseman spot. Nevertheless, the Isles could be looking at adding depth in case injuries become an issue once again.

Looking at the New York Islanders blue line heading into training camp

The top six blue line spots are set in stone

Now, we can assume that the top six are set. We know that top pairing will be Alexander Romanov and Noah Dobson. Barring an injury, Patrick Roy should roll with this pairing as the number one choice.

Then, Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech look set for the second, shutdown pairing. Both blueliners spent last season on the IR, missing roughly 25 games apiece. If that’s the case again this season, the New York Islanders’ blue line could face serious disruption.

The bottom pairing figures to be Scott Mayfield and Mike Reilly. It’s worth pointing out that Mayfield should be healthy this upcoming season. Last year, Mayfield got injured on the first game of the season, and then played nearly 40 games on a broken ankle.

But with a healthy Mayfield and a productive Reilly, the third pairing should provide some useful depth and solid defensive play.

As you can see, there are no surprises with this group. Perhaps Roy may decide to move Mayfield and Reilly up as the second pairing, or even switch things up by having Pelech play with Reilly or Pulock with Mayfield.

But beyond an experiment such as that, Islanders fans shouldn’t expect few surprises at training camp this fall.

Looking at the New York Islanders blue line heading into training camp

The top six blue line spots are set in stone

Schedule