Kyle MacLean has been returned to Bridgeport.
Kyle MacLean has been returned to Bridgeport.
On Sunday night, the New York Islanders returned centerman Kyle MacLean to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.
It's a move that makes a tremendous amount of sense as it will allow the 24-year-old to stay fresh and continue working on his game during the Islanders bye week and All-Star break as Bridgeport plays three games before the Islanders return to action on Feb. 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This move has nothing to do with the health status of Casey Cizikas (lower body, week to week) or cap accrual because the Islanders can't accrue any money since they have players on Long-Term Injured Reserve.
Keeping MacLean on the roster would have helped with cap accrual, not hurt it.
When Cizikas went down, the Islanders decided to try to fill his role with players on the NHL roster, but it became clear that a call-up was needed, and MacLean was the top choice.
This season for Bridgeport, MacLean, the son of Islanders power-play coach John MacLean, scored six goals with 13 assists in 36 games and was groomed to play Cizikas' role to a tee, including playing on the top penalty kill.
MacLean got his NHL chance, suiting up against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 19 in a 4-3 overtime loss alongside Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck.
What stood out in his first NHL game was his hockey IQ.
In 10:21 TOI, MacLean seemed to be in the right spots at all times, filling lanes when his teammates had the puck and always getting back into position -- whether the play was in the neutral or defensive zone.
Despite no shots on goal, MacLean recorded a hit and a block and won 4-of-10 face-offs.
Following the loss to the Blackhawks, head coach Lane Lambert was relieved of his duties, and in came Hockey Hall of Famer Patrick Roy.
Roy has coached much differently than Lambert, trimming his bench late in games, which has affected MacLean's minutes.
Against the Dallas Stars, a 3-2 come-from-behind overtime win, MacLean played 8:36 minutes, with three hits and just doing the little things to get pucks deep and keep the lines moving.
It was a tough night in the face-off dot for MacLean, who went winless on seven puck drops.
MacLean's minutes dipped again in the Islanders' 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights last Tuesday, playing just 8:11 minutes, recording three hits, and winning 5 of 10 face-offs.
However, when MacLean was on the ice, the Islanders didn't allow a scoring-chance shot attempt against, with eight of their own.
The minutes dip continued Thursday night in Montreal.
With the Islanders in a 3-0 hole early, Roy elected to play his top six as much as possible, with MacLean only seeing 6:03 minutes of ice time, going 1-for-2 in the dot.
He hit the post in the second period via a quick release from inside the left dot, just a few inches away from scoring his first NHL goal.
MacLean also made his first trip to the penalty box, a trip at 10:01 of the second period, but the Islanders were able to kill it off.
To close out Maclean's first cup of coffee in the NHL, he played the second most minutes since making his NHL debut, with 8:41 minutes in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Florid Panthers.
He finished his night with one hit, going 2-for-7 in the dot, taking a penalty for the second straight game, but the penalty kill came up large yet again.
MacLean has kept it simple and hasn't stood out. And for a young player who is playing the defensive role that he is, there's no need for him to stand out at all.
He's made the plays he's had to make and has shown the organization that he can be relied upon as a depth center.
To wrap things up, MacLean had two shots, with a block, eight hits, two takeaways, and zero giveaways in 8:22 minutes per game.
ANALYTICS
Roy is a HUGE analytics guy, so let's dive into MacLean's advanced stats.
In 41:51 minutes, when MacLean was on the ice, the Islanders didn't allow a goal, outshooting their opponents 13-11 and out-chancing them 6-3, per NaturalStatrick.com.
The Islanders owned a 0.62 Expected Goals Against when MacLean was on the ice over their last five games. That was the lowest number amongst the forward group, with MacLean playing the fourth-fewest minutes.
MacLean ranks fifth amongst the forward group with a 66.56 Expected Goals For Percentage when he's been on the ice and has been on the ice for just three high-dancer chances against, which is tied with his two linemates.
As a line, with Martin not playing in Montreal, in 19:01 minutes, the Islanders have been outshot 9-6.
While their offensive production has been slim to none, the fourth line has been dynamic defensively with a 0.5 Expected Goals Against, allowing eight scoring chances.
When the Islanders regroup after the All-Star break, expect MacLean to be penciled in on the Islanders fourth line as he's done a mighty fine job in his first taste of NHL action.