NY Islanders D Bode Wilde and F Richard Panik to be assigned "to a different location"

After the New York Islanders announced their 23-man roster for opening night on Monday, General Manager Lou Lamoriello added that 2018 2nd-round pick (41st overall) Bode Wilde and veteran forward Richard Pánik would be assigned "to a different location" in the next 48 hours.

NY Islanders D Bode Wilde and F Richard Panik to be assigned "to a different location"

Earlier in the day, Stefan Rosner of NYIHockeyNow reported that Wilde had been re-assigned to the Atlanta Gladiators (Arizona Coyotes affiliate) of the ECHL. He played in Sweden's top pro league with Vasterviks IK and posted 10 points (1G-9A) in 40 games last season.

Wilde was not on the Islanders' developmental camp roster last month, a year after he was kept from participating in the Islanders’ organization after not getting a COVID-19 vaccine. He is currently on an NHL contract after signing a three-year entry-level deal in December of 2018.

As per the new Covid-19 protocols, players on NHL contracts can't be denied from participating in club activities based on their vaccination status for the 2022-23 season, but his decision, at the moment, appears to have a lasting impact. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound blueliner, appeared in 42 AHL games with Bridgeport from 2019 to 2021 scoring three goals and eight points.

Pánik was acquired from the Red Wings with a second-round pick ahead of last season in the deal that sent D Nick Leddyto Detroit. He played in four games for the Isles last season when the roster was depleted by COVID-19 at the start of the year, registering 1 assist while averaging 14:55 TOI. He picked up the primary assist on the first Islanders goal at UBS Arena, scored by Brock Nelson versus the Calgary Flames on November 20, 2021, in Elmont.

The native of Slovakia had spent the previous nine seasons in the NHL, playing in 521 regular season games with Tampa Bay, Toronto, Chicago, Arizona, Washington, and the Islanders. In 28 games with the Bridgeport Islanders(AHL), he scored seven goals and five assists before being loaned to the Chicago Wolves in March.