Islanders call up defenseman Parker Wotherspoon from Bridgeport
The Islanders' Parker Wotherspoon skates with the puck in a scrimmage during training camp at the Northwell Health Ice Center on Jan. 10, 2021. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Islanders needed to recall a defenseman from their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport with Zdeno Chara being placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury on Saturday.
Surprisingly, Parker Wotherspoon got the call, not Finnish defenseman Robin Salo, a second-round pick in 2017 who had one goal and three assists in 18 games in an earlier stint with the Islanders and is considered a big part of their future with puck-moving skills.
Coach Barry Trotz said Wotherspoon, who was a healthy scratch in a 2-1 win over the Blues at UBS Arena, earned the callup by being Bridgeport’s "best defensemen…for quite a while."
Salo? Not so much, Trotz said, based on reports from Bridgeport’s coaching staff.
"That would be a better question for them, right now, than me," Trotz said. "But he hasn’t played as well as he’s needed to play. He should have an impact and be the best defenseman down there. And he hasn’t been."
Chara honored
Chara, on IR retroactive to Feb. 26, was honored in a pre-game ceremony for playing in his 1,652nd game on Feb. 24, an NHL record for defensemen.
Former Bruins teammates Patrice Bergeron, Johnny Boychuk, now retired from the Islanders, Torey Krug, now with the Blues, were among those giving video tributes for Chara, who was on the ice with his wife and three children.
Isles files
Captain Anders Lee missed the game for personal reasons…Mathew Barzal (lower body) missed his fourth straight game…Otto Koivula was also recalled from Bridgeport and centered Zach Parise and Oliver Wahlstrom on the third line. Wahlstrom had a team-high five shots and a goal in just 8:52 of ice time…The Islanders blocked 24 shots, including four by defenseman Ryan Pulock…Trotz reunited Pulock with Adam Pelech as a top pair for the first time for a full game since this season’s third game.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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