The reason Adam Boqvist won't receive a qualifying offer from the NY Islanders

Asked about qualifying offers to restricted free agents, New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche confirmed that the team would not be extending a qualifying offer to defenseman Adam Boqvist, and while it would have been easy to interpret the decision as an indictment of the player, Darche made it clear that it was about something else.

Instead, the GM revealed that the organization's decision had much more to do with creating an opportunity for one of their own young defensemen.

"I've told him [Boqvist] already we're just going to go a different direction," Darche said. "Isaiah George will have every opportunity to be on this team and we hope he finds a way to be on this team."

That's probably the biggest takeaway from the decision. The Islanders didn't sour on Boqvist. They simply believe it's time to see whether George can establish himself as an everyday NHL defenseman. And based on what we've seen so far, he deserves that opportunity.

Every time George has been called upon, he's looked like he belonged. The 21-year-old has shown poise, skating ability and the type of maturity that coaches trust. The question isn't whether George can play in the NHL. The question is whether the Islanders can give him enough ice time to make staying in the NHL the right decision for his development.

Because if George isn't playing regularly, is sitting in the press box really the best thing for him?

If George earns a permanent spot, someone has to come out. Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech and Alexander Romanov aren't going anywhere when healthy. Tony DeAngelo was just re-signed to a two-year contract.

Which brings us to Scott Mayfield. The veteran defenseman still has four years remaining on his contract, but his role could become increasingly complicated if George forces the Islanders' hand.

Of course, this conversation may solve itself. Pulock, Pelech and Romanov have all dealt with significant injuries in recent years. Even DeAngelo missed time late last season. NHL teams rarely make it through an entire year with only six defensemen.

And perhaps that's exactly what Darche is expecting, and what will give George his chance.

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