The last question remaining with the Islanders’ forward lines was who they would surround Casey Cizikas with, and based on Saturday’s preseason finale, that appears to have been answered.
After waiving Mitchell Chaffee earlier in the day, the Islanders had Ondrej Palat and Anthony Duclair on their game roster against the Devils.
Though the 11-and-7 configuration in the Islanders’ 4-1 preseason loss to the Devils made for some inconsistent line combinations, indications are Palat and Duclair will form the fourth line with Cizikas on Wednesday night in Toronto, with Kyle MacLean looking likely to be the extra forward.
It is not, on paper, a trio that looks like an easy fit together, with Cizikas very much a straight-line player, Duclair a skill-first winger with speed and the 35-year-old Palat still trying to prove he can conjure some of what made him such an effective player when the Lightning were winning Stanley Cups.
“We all bring something different to the table, which is nice, and it’s a lot about communication,” Cizikas said before Saturday’s exhibition game. “It’s a lot about understanding each other and each other’s games.”
With coach Pete DeBoer hoping to find some secondary scoring the Islanders lacked last season, it might be the Islanders’ best shot of a fourth line that can put the puck in the net. Duclair hasn’t found a consistent scoring touch since signing here in 2024, but has a history of 20-goal seasons the Isles are still hoping to tap into.
“He’s got a nose for the net and he’s as slick as anybody with that puck,” Cizikas said. “So we’re gonna try to do everything we can to get him the puck and get him in positions where he’s able to get an opportunity.”
The Islanders lined up with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in their preseason finale, holding out Matthew Schaefer (upper body) and Brayden Schenn (lower body) after both had “tweaks,” in DeBoer’s words.
DeBoer said neither is a concern for Wednesday, with the decision to hold them out purely precautionary.
DeBoer called Mathew Barzal (left kneecap) day to day, but would not confirm whether he is skating.
The Islanders made a series of cuts before Saturday’s game, sending Alex Jefferies, Josh Kotai, Daniil Prokhorov, Matthew Highmore and Marshall Warren to AHL Hamilton while putting Chaffee, Pierre Engvall, Liam Foudy, Daylan Kuefler and Matt Luff on waivers.
While Engvall is in Hamilton, his $3 million cap hit becomes $1.775 million.
