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Islanders’ Recent Signings Underscore Sam Bolduc’s Fall From Favor

Islanders’ Recent Signings Underscore Sam Bolduc’s Fall From Favor
Joey McAuliffe Editorials

When the Islanders traded defenseman Travis Hamonic to the Calgary Flames in 2017, it stung for some Islanders fans such as myself. Hamonic was a fan-favorite for his physical play and community involvement.

Not to mention, the return for Hamonic wasn’t immediately tangible. At the time, the trade amounted to nothing more than three lotto tickets: a 2019 second-round pick a 2018 first-round pick and a 2018 second-round pick. In hindsight, it was a great deal for the Islanders. That first-round pick turned into Noah Dobson, and that alone made the deal worthwhile.

However, two other players joined the Islanders via this trade: forward Ruslan Iskhakov & defenseman Sam Bolduc. The former has already returned to his native Russia after playing only a single regular-season game for the Islanders in 2023-24. Now, with recent moves made by Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello, Bolduc’s fate seems sealed as well.

Bolduc was ranked as the 92nd overall prospect in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman

Unlike Iskhakov, Bolduc received some serious NHL runs before getting to this moment. He has played in 52 NHL games for the Islanders over the last three seasons, recording eight points (4G,4A). Under former Head Coach Lane Lambert, Bolduc seemed on his way to a bottom-pairing role with the team.

He was only 21, but Bolduc played 17 games for the Islanders in 2022-23. He recorded three points and was a +5. With development, Bolduc could have developed into the highly-skilled offensive defenseman scouts like James Iacovone saw on Draft Day 2018.

Nowadays, the Islanders will do ANYTHING to keep him out of the NHL lineup.

Since Patrick Roy took over the Head Coaching gig on Jan. 20, 2024, Bolduc has skated in only five games. He has only played one game in 2024-25 versus the New York Rangers on Nov. 3rd, 2024. He played poorly, and Roy soured on him quickly. Ultimately, he played only 5:56 . Roy lamented Bolduc’s poor play after the game.

“It’s sad, but Sam needs to be better. If he wants to play in the NHL, he’s gonna have to understand and step up.”

Bolduc, now 24 years old, returned to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders shortly after the game. Now, it seems unlikely he ever suits up for the Islanders again.

The Islanders could really use Bolduc right now. They’re missing several key contributors on defense including the aforementioned Dobson, Ryan Pulock and Mike Reilly. All of these injuries appear to be long-term. Pulock & Dobson are both right-handed shots just like Bolduc, but the Islanders haven’t called him back up.

Instead, they signed controversial defenseman Tony DeAngelo and traded for former Hobey Baker Award winner Scott Perunovich. Both of these players are offensively gifted but defensively challenged, just like Bolduc. Even though Bolduc is the home-grown talent, the Islanders felt they needed to look elsewhere.

The worst part? It’s tough the blame Lamoriello for not calling up Bolduc

Bolduc never struggled to amass points, especially in the AHL, but his +/- stat is indicative of how badly he struggles defensively. Since 2021, Bolduc is -35 over 156 AHL games. Even though he has amassed 61 points in that span, Bolduc still allows 35 more goals than he scores at five-on-five in the AHL.

The breakdown of Bolduc’s film isn’t complicated. He is extremely skilled, but he doesn’t make the right decisions with regularity. On the power play, Bolduc has shown both brilliance and recklessness. In other words, he turns the puck over too much.

The turnovers got him sent down to the AHL, but they’ve only gotten worse since he returned to Connecticut. He seems defeated, and that has only worsened his play. It’s tough to blame Bolduc for feeling down because his NHL life is about to get a lot more difficult.

He is in the final year of his two-year, $1.6 million contract that he signed with Bridgeport after 2022-23. Bolduc will be a restricted free agent, but it’s hard to imagine the Islanders making a serious offer for Bolduc. He may soon move to a different organization. The new organization may not be as patient with Bolduc, simply because they didn’t invest the draft capital into him that the Islanders did.

Where the Islanders see a “former second-round pick”, his new team will probably see a “career minor-leaguer”. Of course, that’s not certain. But the Islanders treat other players like this all the time. Take, for example, Liam Foudy who is a former first-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets invested 89 NHL games into Foudy before moving him to the Nashville Predators. Because to Columbus, he was an investment that they didn’t want to needlessly waste. Since then, Foudy has played 14 NHL games with two different teams despite producing 44 points in 67 AHL games in that timespan.

NHL teams aren’t willing to “wait and see” for a prospect they didn’t draft/invest in. That reality now faces Bolduc. If this is the end of his time as an Islander, it has been a tale of unfulfilled potential and frustration. Bolduc initially showed offensive promise, but his defensive lapses and inconsistency have prevented him from making the next step in his career. The Islanders’ reluctance to call him up, even amidst significant injuries, speaks volumes about their current assessment of Bolduc. Now, he faces a long and difficult journey back into the NHL.

featured image courtesy of the Bridgeport Islanders

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