Rosner On Gatcomb It's not uncommon to see NHL teams send down waiver-exempt players to their AHL affiliates to keep them in game shape during a break in the season. However, the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] have not elected to send down forward Marc Gatcomb, which means he's getting a much-needed two weeks to relax. The 25-year-old, who signed a one-year deal this past summer, got his first NHL chance on Jan. 14 against the Ottawa Senators. Despite heading back to Bridgeport a game later, he made his way back up and forced his head coach, Patrick Roy, to keep him in the lineup. He's played so well that Roy elected to keep 25-year-old middle-six forward Maxim Tsyplakov in the scratch house after he served a three-game suspension. Playing as the fourth-line right winger, Gatcomb has three goals in his last six games. He's remained in the lineup because of his physicality, with 48 hits through his first 12 NHL games. The fact that Gatcomb is not in Bridgeport means that the Islanders just want him to rest up, which clearly indicates that he will remain in the lineup when the Islanders' season resumes on Feb. 23 against the Dallas Stars. Gatcomb has proven to be the Kyle MacLean of the Hudson Fasching's, players that entered the lineup due to injury but remained due to their contagious energy and grit. While MacLean got a three-year extension following his first NHL stint last year, with Fasching getting a two-year extension following the 2022-23 season, it's very early into Gatcomb's career, so don't expect any contract announcement anytime soon. That being said, if Gatcomb can keep this up, it's a no-brainer for the Islanders to ink him to a multi-year deal before the season's end. Gatcomb is a pending restricted free agent with a qualifying offer worth $813,750 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwpuDfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
