With a little under a month to go before the NHL kicks off preseason play, we have seen 10 players sign Professional Tryouts (PTO). The New York Islanders haven't gone that route, and here's why.

Heading into the summer, the New York Islanders needed to add NHL depth for vital reasons. 

And I know what you are thinking. The Islanders are made up of mostly depth, so why do they need more?

Don't worry. I've come prepared. 

Unlike this past season, where we saw six players make their NHL debut, the Islanders needed to have players in Bridgeport who already had some sort of NHL experience. 

That's not to say the youngsters played badly, but there was a clear adjustment period needed for most of the call-ups, and the Islanders didn't have much room for error, taking all 82 games to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

So, on July 5, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello did exactly what he had to do, signing forwards Julien Gauthier (one-way), Karson Kuhlman (two-way) and Brian Pinho (two-way).

READ MORE: Importance of Islanders Signings & What Could Happen Next

Now, what's just as important as signing depth options is them producing if and when they get the chance, so we shall see how well those moves pan out. 

With a little under a month to go before the NHL kicks off preseason play, we have seen 18 player sign Professional Tryouts (PTO).

Signing PTOs is likely not a route the Islanders have to go anymore, with the depth moves inked on July 5. 

It's not because of the Islanders' financial issues -- needing to clear $486,625 off the books to be cap compliant -- since PTOs don't hold any type of financial burden. 

Competition is always a need, with very little at last year's camp outside of Kieffer Bellows vs. Oliver Wahlstrom.

Those three depth signings fill that need, as well. 

“If we thought that there was a player that could potentially get a spot, then we would have done that,” Lamoriello said ahead of last season's training camp. 

“I think with the roster that we have, it would have been very difficult for that to happen because, in my opinion, we have some young players who are very close to playing, and they’re going to get the opportunity, you know, to push or earn that position.”

Lamoriello is rather likely to stick with that mindset, as there are still youngsters like William Dufour, Ruslan Iskhakov, Arnaud Durandeau, and Matthew Maggio knocking on the proverbial door. 

Looking at available unrestricted free agents at this moment in time, the ones that stand out are Tomas Tatar and Patrick Kane. 

I'm not quite sure what's going on with Tatar, as it seems a little strange he is still available. We know Kane had hip surgery this summer, and by all accounts, it seems he's recovering rather quickly. 

However, he won't get a PTO, but Tatar very well could. 

Former Islanders forward Josh Bailey is still available, and it's likely that he will get a PTO somewhere. Remember, the issue for New York was Bailey's $5 million cap hit.

But Bailey on a league minimum deal ($750,000) is a low-risk move, especially for a team like the Ottawa Senators, who could use some help in their bottom six. 

Islanders begin their preseason play against the New York Rangers on Sept. 26, which would be about a week into training camp.