In his NHL debut, New York Islanders rookie Isaiah George lined up with Grant Hutton during line rushes.
But, when Hutton took the ice for what would have been their first shift of the game, George stayed on the bench.
Was the rookie getting benched before even getting a shift?
Roy said, “Hold my Labatt Blue.”
For legal purposes, no, he didn’t actually say that.
Isaiah George played and played a lot, a total of 15:41 minutes, including a 40-second shift in overtime of their 4-3 shootout win against the Pittsburgh Penguins:
George skated with Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, Noah Dobson, and Hutton during his NHL debut.
The Hockey News asked George about playing with different vets in his NHL debut and how that might have helped him.
“It was good. Those great guys made it easy for me to be successful. So, thanks to them.”
What George showed through the rotation of defense partners is that his game fits with anyone Roy puts him with.
He’s stable, doesn’t overthink, and is a rather mobile defenseman who knows how to read the plays in front of him.
George may not be the biggest player, but he plays big, which also means he plays confidently, which is necessary for any NHL player.
“We’re in the position right now that, unfortunately, we have to go with the guys that are playing some good hockey,” Roy said about giving George different defense partners. “Tonight, Noah played a super nice game. He was in on the rush. He was moving his feet. That’s the guy that I know, and that’s the guy I want when he starts rushing the puck, that excites me. I love the way he played, so I thought that he and George were a pretty good fit together.”
So, George skating with Dobson in morning skate, courtesy of Newsday’s Andrew Gross, seems to be about George’s game allowing Dobson to flourish, something Roy needs to see from his best offensive defenseman after a slow start to his season.
Related: EXCLUSIVE: Islanders Dobson Seeks Consistent Confidence To Round Out Game
This doesn’t mean that the rookie will be stapled to No. 8 against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at 7 PM ET. But it does mean a lot for George and how Roy views him.
But George helping Dobson isn’t the story.
The story is that Roy trusts an NHL rookie, who is gearing up to play in just his fifth professional game, to play big minutes and not the 10 or so minutes that a fifth or sixth defense would get.
The rookie isn’t likely to be stapled to No. 8 against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at 7 PM ET.
#Isles Patrick Roy on pairing Isaiah George with Noah Dobson: “The moment they played together at the end of the game against Pittsburgh, I thought they played really well. So why not give it a shot at the beginning of the game and see how it goes?”
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) November 7, 2024
“Roy clearly seems something in George that he wants out of his defenseman,” a scout told The Hockey News. “And that’s mobility, puck-moving ability, and quick decision-making.”
That’s exactly what George showed in his debut, and that excited Roy and showed the potential of how he could help transcend a banged-up blue line rather than just be a depth option to fill a hole.
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