New York Islanders 20-year-old rookie Isaiah George deserves major credit for taking advantage of his NHL minutes through two games.
He played 15:41 in his NHL debut, a 4-3 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night, before playing an astonishing 23:59 in their 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
But do you know who also deserves some credit?
The answer is that the Islanders head coach Patrick Roy, the one that’s given George the minutes.
Many coaches aren’t giving George, a player with just four games of professional experience, big minutes.
Many coaches, on home ice where they can control matchups, would have sheltered a rookie making his NHL debut.
But Roy threw the handbook out the window.
At Tuesday’s morning skate before the Pittsburgh game, Roy almost laughed at a question about whether or not he was going to shelter George from the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
“I’m not protecting him. No, no, there won’t be protecting here,” Roy said. “We need to see what he can do, 100 percent.”
He started the youngster on the third defensive pairing with Grant Hutton but quickly pivoted, trying George with Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, and Noah Dobson.
It was clear, rather quickly, that George wasn’t a bottom-pairing kinda guy.
Did he make a mistake? He sure did, turning the puck over in front of goal early in the third period, a move that some coaches may have sat him for in such a close game.
“It was kind of a fluke play. I just tried to reverse to D-to-D back there and just kind of heeled off my stick there,” George said.
Roy threw him out there the next shift, likely a test to see if he would bounce back.
He passed with flying colors.
“I just kept a positive mindset. I just kept going and just forgot about that shift,” George said. “Yeah, it meant a lot [that Roy continued to play him].
Roy loved what he saw in George’s game.
“Outstanding. Except for that one turnover, I thought he had a solid game,” Roy said. “I mean, he skates, and he’s moving well. I think the more he’s going to play, I think he’s going to feel more comfortable out there. Good for him. I was happy that he was here tonight because he played a lot of minutes for his first game. I thought it was good minutes. I was very pleased with his performance. Hey, he even played in overtime. Come on. Good job, kid.”
As much as he loved George’s game, he loved Dobson’s even more, crediting George a bit with helping to bring the best out of No. 8 when the two were on the ice together.
“Tonight, Noah played a super nice game. He was in on the rush. He was moving his feet,” Roy said. “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.”
That’s why the two got to be a duo in their win over Ottawa.
“He skates well and he moves [the puck] really well on the ice,” Roy said. “I thought, for a guy — it’s only his second game — he was getting more and more confident out there. I was very pleased with the way he played.”
It’s a small detail, but wow I love this from Isaiah George!
Tries to setup a chance 200 feet away from his net, then gets back to stop the rush immediately.
Yup, that’s an #Isles prospect. pic.twitter.com/5R34yG6nkC
— Isles Den (@IslesDen) November 8, 2024
Roy’s given George the chance to flourish, and with every minute No. 36 played, the more we get to see his talents.
Had George’s minute been limited through two games, with any type of mistake leading to a few shifts off, we would see someone scared to make mistakes.
It happened to Oliver Wahlstrom in his first few seasons when Barry Trotz and Lane Lambert were behind the bench. It also happened to Samuel Bolduc when he first broke into the NHL.
This is not to say that both players would be thriving now if their head coaches had played them after mistakes. Some mistakes are worth benching as a learning experience.
But who knows how those players would be doing now had they played through their mistakes? The reason we bring this up is because of confidence.
Both Wahlstrom and Bolduc lack confidence with the puck on their sticks years later.
George, on his first NHL shift, did not and hasn’t lost an ounce of confidence through two games, regardless of the few mistakes he’s made.
General manager Lou Lamoriello gets the final say with a call-up, and according to Roy, they were going back and forth about George due to his age and inexperience.
“Sometimes you’re afraid to throw someone in,” Roy said. “But like I said to Lou in our conversation, I was also 20, and I’m sure, probably, my teammates were sh—ing their pants [about] how nervous they were when I played my first game. But sometimes, that’s the way it is. You got to give a chance to someone, and I think he’s ready for it.”
Roy had a say in George getting recalled. George brings everything Roy’s system loves and not just as a fill-in for an injured player if he keeps this up.
The Hockey Hall of Famer coached years in the QMJHL, behind the Quebec Rempart’s bench. He knows how young players think and has discovered that the best thing to do is to let them play.
George will always have to earn his minutes for a coach like Roy. But there’s a good chance that when the Islanders’ blue line gets back to full strength, he’ll be battling with Mike Reilly for the final spot.
If Reilly wins, there’s no real point in George staying in the NHL and not playing as the seventh defenseman.
George has to continue to play well, and if he does, he may turn into a guy that Roy just can’t take out of the lineup.
