Wrist surgery shelves Islanders' Cal Clutterbuck indefinitely
Cal Clutterbuck #15 of the New York Islanders celebrates his second period goal against the Vegas Golden Knights at NYCB Live on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The good news for Cal Clutterbuck is that his scary left wrist slash suffered when he was cut by the Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron’s skate blade on Thursday was not as bad as it could have been.
The bad news for the Islanders is that their gritty right wing is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on Friday to repair tendon damage.
The Islanders recalled Andrew Ladd, who is coming back from injuries to each knee last season, from their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport to take Clutterbuck’s roster spot.
“Cal Clutterbuck did have an operation to just repair a couple of little pieces,” Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said on Saturday. “The cut was clean, no complications. It’s just going to be a matter of time when it heals. It was 100 percent successful. He will be back this season.”
Added coach Barry Trotz, “It’s a serious injury but it could have been worse. The doctors, from what I understand, felt that they were able to do everything they needed to do pretty efficiently. We’ll miss Cal and we’ll move on until he gets back.”
Clutterbuck skated directly off the ice and headed to the Islanders’ room — and then to a nearby hospital in Boston — after being cut by Bergeron’s skate blade at 14:47 of the third period of the Islanders’ 3-2 shootout win at TD Garden on Thursday night.
Clutterbuck received stitches and was evaluated at the Boston hospital but flew home with the team and was able to be seen by the team’s doctors on Friday, when he had outpatient surgery.
Lamoriello said there are no long-term concerns about his hand and wrist mobility.
Ladd, 34, in the fourth season of a seven-year, $38.5 million deal, had seven goals and two assists in 19 games for Bridgeport.
“His attitude has been tremendous and he was great for the young players,” Lamoriello said. “He deserved to come up under these circumstances.”
Notes & quotes: Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock each played in his 200th NHL game . . . Ladd and Noah Dobson were the healthy scratches. Lamoriello said he expects Michael Dal Colle (upper body), who missed his third straight game, to rejoin his teammates for practice on Sunday . . . The Islanders now are 38-0-1 under Trotz when scoring at least five goals . . . The Islanders’ streak of rotating goalies for the first 33 games of the season, which ended Saturday, was tied for the eighth longest in NHL history . . . It was the second sellout crowd of 13,917 this season at the Coliseum. The other one was the season opener.
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.
