EAST MEADOW, NY -- When the New York Islanders [http://thn.com/isles] acquired center prospect Calum Ritchie [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/islanders-prospect-calum-ritchie-bulked-up-ready-to-fill-brock-nelson-s-role] from the Colorado Avalanche in the Brock Nelson deal, they knew they were getting a player who would help this franchise for a long time. The question was always if not when. With the Islanders deciding to hold onto Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is entering the final season of his deal, and moving Mathew Barzal back to center, it tipped the organization's hand when it came to the Ritchie plan. Ritchie, who can play wing -- he played wing in all seven NHL games with Colorado last season (one goal against Ilya Sorokin) -- Roy values him down the middle. Ritchie, who recorded a goal and an assist in his first preseason game with the Islanders, a 6-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, will get another chance to prove his worth on Thursday night against the New York Rangers. What does Roy want to see? "I thought he played really well against their top line. He'll probably do the same today," Roy said following Thursday's morning skate. "I want to see him keep playing that way and see how, when things aren't going his way, how he's going to react. And these are good things for us to see from him." What's the organization's plan for Ritchie? "I think we want him to play as much as possible [in the preseason], and we'll go from there," Roy said. "He's probably not going to play tomorrow, but we want to see how he does. And yes, he's going to play a lot of games. I think what he's doing right now is just making our decision so much tougher, and that's what you want. I mean, I don't think he came here just to make an impression. He wants to make the team. So, I mean, we cannot ask for a better scenario for ourselves." The chance of Ritchie making the team is slim, but it's not zero. We'll see how the rest of the preseason plays out and what the injury situation looks like with two weeks to go before the start of the regular season.
