Islanders Still In The Race Despite Four Straight Losses The New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] have officially activated defenseman Robert Bortuzzo out of LTIR. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA0OTAzNTMyMzAyNTc1MTk4/usatsi_22180132-1.jpg] The 35-year-old, who was acquired in a trade from the St. Louis Blues for a seventh-round pick in 2024, made 11 appearances with the Islanders before suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Colorado Avalanche on Jan 2. He then suffered a setback, which is why it took him longer to rejoin the group, missing the last 30 games. After the Islanders came back from their West Coast trip, Bortuzzo took the ice with his teammates: Per the NHL media site, the Islanders activated Bortuzzo later that night, but he didn't play against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday or the New York Rangers on Sunday. With rosters expanding following the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, the Islanders don’t have to make a corresponding move. The Islanders have enough cap space to fit his $950,000 cap hit, leaving them with $1.53 million remaining. With left-handed defenseman Sebastian Aho taking a spot on the right side in Scott Mayfield’s absence it's possible Bortuzzo could return on Tuesday to balance things out against the Carolina Hurricanes amidst a four-game slide. Also, happy birthday to Bortuzzo, who gets a rather nice gift, eh? TOP STORIES
