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Islanders call up Kieffer Bellows |
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The New York Islanders have called up 2016 first-round pick Kieffer Bellows in an attempt to add some depth scoring to their forward group.
On one hand, he seriously can’t produce any less than what the Islanders have got right now in their bottom-six, so in that sense, it’s a no-lose situation for the Islanders. He’s a goal-scorer with a good shot who’s at his best when he’s finding room in-close or around the slot. He’s certainly getting a great chance to make an impact in the NHL right away as well.
At the same time, while he’s been good on a terrible Bridgeport team and has taken a step in the right direction this year, in all honesty, if the Islanders had any forward depth in the system at all, he probably wouldn’t be getting called up right now. That sounds negative but this does seem like a bit early for Bellows to be joining the Islanders. He’s only just recently adjusted to the AHL and he was even scratched at one point this season. While he’s been on fire since about the beginning of December, he’ll now be hurled into a lineup that’s hoping he can add some scoring right away. There’s a good chance he’s better than what the Islanders have right now in their bottom-six but there’s also the opportunity to hurt development in the long-run if he ends up sticking around for a while but can't adjust. I’ll admit though that I was also very against Carter Hart being called up so early and he had a great rookie season, so maybe I’m alone on this one.
There’s no doubt it’ll be great to see more of Bellows though and I suppose if anything, the call-up could give Bellows more confidence for when he likely returns to Bridgeport. Again, the Islanders don’t have much to lose here and while the call-up is coming earlier than expected, this is an exciting thing to see and a necessary shake-up for a team that hasn’t been very good over the last six weeks or so.
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New York Islanders Blogger • 
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