The New York Islanders already had a tough start to the 2021-22 NHL season after going 5-6-2 on their 13-game road trip. But to make matters worse, the team is currently experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak. Players started dropping like flies in mid-November, but the NHL refused to postpone any games for the Islanders until the end of the month. The NHL did not put the safety of their players, employees, or fans in the best interest by forcing the Islanders to play through such adversity. 

Players and Staff Affected

COVID-19 has been spreading like wildfire throughout the Islanders’ organization. This is a timeline of who entered protocol and when. 

• Nov. 16: Josh Bailey 
• Nov. 19: Anders Lee and Ross Johnston 
• Nov. 20: Adam Pelech and Andy Greene  
• Nov. 21: Kieffer Bellows 
• Nov. 22: Zdeno Chara 
• Nov. 27: Casey Cizikas and three non-players in the organization

The Islanders also lost some key players due to injuries in November. 

• Nov. 16: Ryan Pulock out 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury 
• Nov. 23: Brock Nelson out 2-4 weeks with a lower-body injury 
• Nov. 24: Noah Dobson out day-to-day with a lower-body injury 

While players getting injured is part of hockey and not means to postpone a game, it is not common to have three players out with injuries in addition to eight players out with COVID-19. The Islanders lost 11 key components in less than two weeks. 

Did the NHL Wait Too Long to Postpone?

On Nov. 27, the league announced that all Islanders games would be postponed at least through Nov. 30. This announcement came along with the news that another player (Casey Cizikas) as well as three staff members had tested positive for COVID-19.  

The Ottawa Senators had just recently gone through a COVID-19 outbreak as well. The NHL postponed their games on Nov. 15 once 10 players and an assistant coach had entered protocol.

The NHL is not taking the health and safety of their players, staff, and fans into consideration by waiting for nearly half the roster to contract the virus before postponing games. Players and staff are already required to be vaccinated and, in many arenas, attendees must be vaccinated too, or present a negative test.  

Preventative measures are already in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the league. Not much more can be done to prevent the spread of the virus except for letting people who are sick or come in contact with someone who is sick take a few days to quarantine. 

Putting Others at Risk

The Islanders had seven players enter COVID-19 protocol in a week. It was clear that the virus was rapidly spreading throughout the team. The NHL should have postponed the Islanders’ games much sooner than they did. And not only were the Islanders at risk but all the teams that they were playing were put at risk as well. Bailey, Bellows, and Chara all played in a game the night before they tested positive. That means at least three teams were exposed to COVID-19. 

On Nov. 29, five days after the Islanders played the New York Rangers, Greg McKegg of the Rangers entered COVID-19 protocol. While there is no confirmed connection between the Islanders’ outbreak and McKegg testing positive, it would not be surprising if they were linked. The Rangers played at UBS Arena on Nov. 24, after seven Islanders had already tested positive for COVID-19. 

The “Bridgeport Islanders”

With nearly half of the roster out, the Islanders have had to pull players up from their AHL team, the Bridgeport Islanders. With up to eight AHL players in the lineup at a time, the Islanders have nearly turned into an AHL team. They have not won a game since Nov. 6, giving up 16 potential points. The team is at a significant disadvantage with so many of their key players out with COVID-19. Even head coach Barry Trotz is struggling to coach such a makeshift team. 

“This is one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced in 20 something years, and I started with an expansion team.” 

5-10-2 

As of right now, the Islanders are scheduled to play their next game on Dec. 2 against the San Jose Sharks. The Isles currently have a 5-10-2 record this season. When they come back, they need to come back stronger than ever to dig themselves out of the point deficit and climb their way up in the Metropolitan Division rankings. 

Maisy Healy

I am a huge Islanders fan and love spreading my passion for the team here at Drive4Five.  Along with writing, I also co-manage the Drive4Five TikTok and Facebook accounts.