Islanders Prepping For Cizikas Return vs. Lightning

Guess who is...likely...back?

Earlier on Wednesday, New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said that forward Casey Cizikas looked good in his first full practice but couldn't give a definite answer on his status ahead of their Thursday matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

"We'll see after warmups, but I thought that he looked good today," Roy said. "He'll be a game-time decision in this case."

Cizikas has missed 10 games with a lower-body injury after blocking a Filip Hronek slap shot off the right ankle in a 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucs on Jan. 9.

Although not officially announced by the club, it looks like Cizikas will indeed play as the first domino has fallen.

Per CapFriendly Transactions, forward Kyle MacLean has been returned to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.

We can confirm this transaction, per the NHL media site. 

This move now allows the Islanders to activate Cizikas off long-term injured reserve, both roster-space-wise and financially. 

The Islanders now have $2.81 million in cap space, and Cizikas' cap hit is $2.5 million. 

Now we wait for the Islanders to officially activate him.

The Islanders will hold a morning skate on Thursday morning, and we will provide you with the latest updates.