Lennox Situation Similar To Dufour's One & Only NHL Game

Patrick Roy knows he made a mistake bringing Tristan Lennox into the game.

Stefen Rosner

and

The Elmonters

Apr 11, 2025

Every young hockey player dreams of playing in the NHL one day. That first NHL game is supposed to be a magical moment, a moment to reflect on all the hard work and sacrifices made by the athlete and their families.

But, of course, not everyone’s NHL debut goes as planned.

Sometimes, that’s on the player, while at other times, it’s the situation that they’re put in.

It was the latter for 22-year-old goaltender Tristan Lennox, who was recalled from Bridgeport on an emergency basis Thursday morning with Ilya Sorokin out with a lower-body injury.

After turning aside 20 of 23 in a 3-2 loss to the Hartford Wolfpack on Wednesday night, his fourth career AHL start and fourth start since sustaining a knee injury that kept him out for 14 months, Lennox drove from Bridgeport to Long Island.

Hours later, Lennox was making his NHL debut, with the Islanders down 5-1 in the third period against the New York Rangers.

After allowing one goal on two shots, Roy decided to pull the young netminder and re-insert his starter, leaving us all scratching our heads at what the Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender was thinking.

Postgame, Roy took the blame, realizing he made the wrong decision.

“After the sixth goal, I wanted to give a break to Marcus [Högberg], mentally more than anything else,” Roy said. “And I put Lennox in. When I saw the first goal...it’s on me. Maybe I should have kept [Högberg in]. The kid didn’t have a chance to practice. I thought that was unfair to him, to put him out there like this. That’s why I put Marcus back in. Didn’t want to expose him and put him in a tough spot. The chances we were giving, they were two-on-ones and three-on-twos. I didn’t think it was fair for the first game."

A few years ago, the Islanders made a similar decision when they recalled prospect William Dufour on Jan. 18, 2023, for a game against the Boston Bruins.

At the time of the call-up, the first-year pro had 13 goals and 12 assists in 37 games.

“We just feel there’s opportunities for certain guys,” Islanders head coach at the time, Lane Lambert, said. “He’s had a lot of success, and that breeds confidence. And he’s playing well in Bridgeport.”

He skated alongside Mathew Barzal and Josh Bailey.

However, early in his NHL debut, it became abundantly clear that he was not ready for the big stage.

Dufour logged 6:48 minutes, as he was on the ice for the first two goals against, with a few mistakes, and then sat and watched the final 29 minutes of the game.

Immediately after the game, Dufour was returned to Bridgeport.

“Lou told me I was going back down,” Dufour shared on Jan. 25. “It was just a positive discussion in general. And I know I didn’t play the last 30 minutes of the game, but it’s just about learning, and it’s a phase that I just need to improve, and I’m going to learn from that.”

Flash-forward to this season, and Dufour became a failed prospect.

He and Brock Nelson were sent to the Colorado Avalanche for prospect Calum Ritchie, a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a conditional third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft, and defenseman Oliver Kylington.

Dufour, who had just eight goals in 45 games this season, with 10 assists, has one goal and three assists in 10 games for the Colorado Eagles.

Lennox and Dufour are different players who play different positions. But, there are also two players who prematurely got thrown into an NHL game, and the Islanders have to hope that Lennox is able to shake off the rough debut and continue to develop, rather than stall.