Islanders AHL watch: Robin Salo not in lineup after Ryan Pulock injury

With Ryan Pulock's injury announcement, New York Islanders fans turned their attention to the Bridgeport Islanders roster. Will anyone be missing from the lineup that could step into the vacancy after Pulock's exit?

Everyone is hoping that Robin Salo will be the player called up to fill a spot on the roster. The 2017 second-round pick turned heads during the Islanders training camp this fall with his smooth skating and puck-moving abilities. Both qualities are exactly what the Islanders are missing from the blue line right now.

And looking at the Bridgeport lineup on Wednesday, Islanders might be getting their wish.

New York Islanders: Robin Salo not in AHL lineup after Ryan Pulock injury

Robin Salo's name was not on the roster for the B-Islanders game against the New York Rangers affiliate (Hartford Wolf Pack). Obviously, that's not a guarantee that he's coming up, but it's certainly a good sign that he might be.

If Robin Salo is indeed coming up that means the Isles will run a four-lefties and two-righties d-group. And I doubt that Salo and Aho will be in the same lineup together. Which would be a tough break for Aho.

The 25-year-old played a good game against the Florida Panthers and has played in back-to-back games with 20+ minutes of ice time for the Islanders recently. Keep in mind, he only played three games, at any level, between March 12, 2020, and November 15, 2021.

That's a year and nine months with very little competitive hockey to show off what he can do. He's clearly a little rusty (he said so himself) and is still playing well. Being out of the lineup again would be a little disheartening for him I'm sure.

But, calling up Salo is a necessary step for the Islanders before they think of dipping their toes into the trade market (which wouldn't be kind to them right now). They need to perform their due diligence to see what they have in Robin Salo. If he fits what the Islanders need then there's no need to test the trade market.

So far, this season, Salo has played every game for the Bridgeport Islanders. He's scored two goals and eight points in 14 games. Three of those eight points have come on the power play.