Grant Hutton seeking to be Islanders’ seventh defenseman

Grant Hutton wasn’t drafted.

He’s chased the NHL since signing with the Islanders out of Miami-Ohio some 5 years in the past and gotten 18 video games with the large membership together with the backhanded praise of turning into a veteran presence in Bridgeport for his bother.

The dream is gashed onto his face, which sports activities a lacking row of entrance enamel.

“You hear quite a bit that I’m getting older, I’m 29 years outdated now,” he mentioned earlier than the Islanders’ 5-2 victory over the Rangers within the preseason finale on Friday. “You don’t know when your final likelihood is gonna be.”

You wager that this opportunity — the possibility to make the energetic roster out of camp because the crew’s seventh defenseman — means the world to him.

“I’ve been round this group for a very long time and I’ve gotten a style of what the NHL is like,” Hutton mentioned. “I’ve mentioned it earlier than however when you get that style, it’s laborious to think about it some other method. I’m glad to be right here.”

Coming into camp, the Islanders’ six on a regular basis defensemen had been, basically, set.

The one query was concerning the seventh spot on the depth chart, and Samuel Bolduc was assumed to have a leg up after spending all of final season in the identical function.

At this late stage of coaching camp, nevertheless, Bolduc seems to have been handed on the depth chart by Hutton and Dennis Cholowski, with Hutton getting the possibility for one ultimate audition on Friday evening.

“It’s simply the consistency degree,” coach Patrick Roy mentioned of Bolduc. “He’s a great hockey participant, he’s bought nice potential. However I believe what I desire so much more from Cholowski and Hutton is the consistency that they convey of their recreation.”

That may be a calling card for Hutton, who cracked a smile on Friday when a query was posed asking if he appreciated that others described his recreation as easy.

“For positive,” he mentioned. “For me, I would like my teammates initially to belief once I’m on the ice, one, that I can maintain my very own. Two, that I can contribute to what we’re attempting to perform right here. … After I’m up right here, whether or not I’m enjoying massive minutes or whether or not I’m restricted, my recreation must be constant. That’s my purpose, my option to the NHL.”

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Kyle Palmieri and Scott Mayfield had been the one two lineup regulars to not take part in Friday’s recreation.

Palmieri was held out with upkeep whereas Mayfield had already performed in 4 preseason video games, so the Islanders didn’t see a necessity to make use of him a fifth time.