Isaiah George’s Place In The Alexander Romanov Injury Puzzle
With Romanov out, the Islanders have turned to internal options on defense — but top prospect George hasn’t been among them. Here’s why he hasn’t been called up and where he stands.
SUNRISE, FL — The New York Islanders have handled the Alexander Romanov season-ending injury the only way they should.
General manager Mathieu Darche, who, like any GM, is always looking at ways to make his team better, has relied internally to fill the hole.
Adam Boqvist, the club’s seventh defenseman, hopped into the lineup for the four games that followed the injury, before Travis Mitchell got a crack, making his NHL debut against the Philadelphia Flyers on Black Friday.
Given that Mitchell is a LHD — Boqvist is a RHD — the Islanders felt more comfortable going that route. Mitchell got four straight games, coming out against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday for Boqvist, before playing the second of the back-to-back, a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.
No one was particularly strong in that game. Mitchell did take two roughing penalties — bringing the other guy with him both times.
There’s no question that, if the Islanders want to remain with the internal route, rookie Marshall Warren is another option. He filled in when Romanov went down earlier in the season, playing two games — the first a two-assist performance in a shootout loss to the Flyers before struggling a few days later against the Boston Bruins.
He’s an option. But there’s another guy that Islanders fans became accustomed to last season, a defensive call-up that we haven’t seen yet this season: Isaiah George
So that begs the question: Where has George been in the Romanov-injury equation?