The New York Islanders have lost depth defenseman Thomas Hickey, with the team placing him on injured reserve on Monday. The team tweeted out that a timetable for his return would be set later this week.
Newday’s Arthur Staple wrote on Monday that it will be “at least a month” before Hickey returns to the fray.
The injury is suspected to be a leg injury sustained in Saturday’s match against the St. Louis Blues. It’s Hickey’s second lay up of the year after he started the season on IR with a fractured thumb.
#Isles Injury Update: Thomas Hickey has been placed on the team's IR list with a lower body injury. Injury timetable set later this week.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) October 26, 2015
After missing some time to start the season, Hickey has played in just four games, getting an average of 14 minutes flat per game and contributing two goals to the Islanders 5-2-1 start to the season.
Hickey’s absence will shake up the team’s defensive pairings, likely meaning that Brian Strait will jump up to work with Marek Zidlicky. With Hickey on IR, the team will have the option of recalling a defenseman from AHL Bridgeport to fill out the roster, with 21-year-old Ryan Pulock being a frontrunner for the recall.
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Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
