Sebastian Aho, Samuel Boldoc set to battle for Islanders’ blue line spot

Within the Islanders’ good world, Samuel Bolduc would break into the beginning lineup from opening evening onwards.

As a lot because the group was inspired by Sebastian Aho placing collectively his greatest season in 2022-23, and as a lot because the Swede represents a wonderfully serviceable participant on the third pair, he’ll enter coaching camp as a hurdle for Bolduc to clear moderately than somebody entrenched within the lineup.

With the opposite 5 spots on the blue line set in stone, it will likely be the second straight 12 months that Aho has needed to battle for a job in camp, and Bolduc could also be harder competitors than Robin Salo, Grant Hutton and Dennis Cholowski posed final 12 months.

Aho, bear in mind, didn’t win that competitors outright.

Salo performed the season’s first 4 video games alongside Scott Mayfield earlier than Aho was inserted into the lineup, occurring to play 71 video games and change into a mainstay.

It was a real reversal of fortune for the 27-year-old, whose recreation had been affected by inconsistency prior to now and who appeared like he would spend a profession yo-yoing between the AHL and NHL.

“I used to be much more constant than I’ve been the years previous to this,” Aho mentioned on breakup day. “I really feel like I’ve all the time had good video games yearly, however I’ve additionally had numerous worse video games. I really feel like this 12 months I stayed at a greater stage all through all the things and I’m proud of that.”

Discovering one other stage to his recreation six years after being drafted is an actual achievement, and at the least as pertains to the beginning of the season, it ought to give Aho a leg up on the beginning job going into camp.

Bolduc, nevertheless, is the closest factor the group has to an NHL-ready prospect and will step right into a full-time position in 2024-25 on the newest, with Aho turning into an unrestricted free agent after this season.

In 17 video games final season, Bolduc flashed some actual expertise and, principally, performed with poise.

Naturally, there have been occasions the place he bought caught out of place by turnovers or psychological errors, however that’s the way it goes for many rookie defensemen within the league.

For now, it’s a part of the educational course of.

The Islanders have the luxurious of not needing to power Bolduc into a job for which he’s not prepared.

Aho has an identical talent set, as each are puck-moving defensemen who might get a shot operating the facility play.

However the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Bolduc is greater, with the potential to play a way more bodily recreation than Aho, who is comparatively small for an NHL defenseman.

And the Quebecois’ ceiling remains to be unknown, and thus tantalizing.

Noah Dobson, the newest extremely touted protection prospect to interrupt into the lineup, required a year-plus of seasoning earlier than then-coach Barry Trotz started plugging him in on a nightly foundation.

By the tip of the 2021 season, although, he was a staple, and performed in all 19 postseason video games as a bottom-pair defenseman.

On the opposite finish of the spectrum, Salo was given a number of call-ups through the 2021-22 season, when the Islanders have been clearly in want of somebody to fill a mobility void on protection and by no means left a lot of an impression.

When he did lastly win a job final coaching camp, he misplaced it briefly order and has discovered himself on the unsuitable finish of the organizational depth chart going right into a contract 12 months.

Realistically, Bolduc will find yourself someplace between these two extremes.

The faster he can power his method into an on a regular basis position, although, the higher.