Travis Hamonic out 4-6 weeks with upper-body injury
New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic will miss the next 4-6 weeks of action with an upper-body injury, the team announced Sunday.
In the first period of New York’s Saturday loss against the Edmonton Oilers, Hamonic blocked a shot by Patrick Maroon. The puck then went to Leon Draisaitl who scored a goal at the 12:13 mark of the frame. Hamonic went off the ice in pain and did not return.
Newsday pointed out that losing Hamonic will further hurt the Islanders’ defensive depth.
They have been carrying six defensemen for all but a few days of this season, with Ryan Pulock coming up for a brief stay when Nick Leddy missed the Oct. 21 game against the Coyotes with a finger injury.
But Pulock managed to get in only a few shifts before he was sidelined with a broken right foot, also off a blocked shot. He is midway through an absence that is expected to last four to six weeks.
The next defenseman on the recall list is likely to be Adam Pelech, who was in the lineup for AHL Bridgeport on Saturday. Pelech, who had a strong training camp, had a goal and three assists in 10 games with the Sound Tigers entering the game.
The Islanders are currently 4-6-2 and have lost five of their last six games. The team reportedly has put goaltender Jaroslav Halak on the trading block, which could enable them to acquire a defenseman if needed.
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The 26-year-old Hamonc is a top-pairing defenseman for the team and has averaged 19:47 of ice-time this season. In his career he has averaged over 21 minutes of ice-time per-game every season, including 23:49 per-game last year. Hamonic has five points in 12 games and holds a minus-4.14 5-on-5 adjusted CF%. He is also an alternate captain, and one of the more respected players in the team’s dressing room.
“It’s a concern,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said after the game according to the New York Post. “He’s a tough kid. For him not to come back, obviously we’re going to have to see what it is. It’s one of your leaders, a right shot defenseman. He plays 21-22 minutes a night.”
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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