The New York Islanders have used the preseason to see which players could play a crucial part during the year, and one player that has stood out is Cal Ritchie. He was making strides the past few weeks, but that stopped in their preseason finale when he had to exit the game due to a lower-body injury.
Head coach Patrick Roy shared an update on Ritchie after the finale.
“Day to day,” Roy said. “He’ll see our doctor tomorrow.”
The Islanders already have four solidified centermen on their roster, but the way that Ritchie has been playing the past few weeks, he has been making it hard for them to keep him off the team.
“There’s gonna be important decisions for us to make, but I’m very happy with him,” Roy said. “Whatever decision we’re gonna make, he did what he had to do to make an impression. Makes our decision extremely difficult.”
Ritchie recently spoke about how well he had been playing during training camp and the preseason, and who he's been working alongside to help improve his game.
“It’s been great, obviously,” Ritchie said via Eyes on Isles. “You get a chance to play with guys like [Casey] Cizikas and [Kyle] Palmieri in games, and every shift you’re learning. You’re coming back to the bench talking about what just happened, and you’re picking up things every day from those guys.
“Last year, I was struggling a lot in the D-zone, giving up chances. This year, I feel way more comfortable in our structure, closing on guys and not giving up much defensively.”
There's no doubt that Ritchie looks like a different player this year, and the hope is that he can return to the ice sooner rather than later so he can continue to make a big impact.
