Nobody is calling Dennis Seidenberg a game-changer.
But the 35-year-old defenseman the Islanders signed to a one-year, $1 million deal Wednesday does represent a tightening of the screws on the back end — which could use some tightening. With three young players vying for one or two spots on the Isles’ defensive group, this now makes the competition that much more cutthroat.
“It’s depth to our hockey team, it’s a leader to our hockey team,” coach Jack Capuano said at training camp Thursday. “He’s played in some big-time games.”
The biggest of those games came alongside Johnny Boychuk, now one of the Islanders’ back-end stalwarts. The two won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011, and that certainly helped Seidenberg choose the Islanders out of the seven teams vying for his services.
“I told him about our new practice arena, and about what was going on around here; there are a lot of good things going on,” Boychuk said from the sparkling new facility, Northwell Health Ice Center, at Eisenhower Park on Long Island. “Just stating the obvious, basically.”
Seidenberg still is in Toronto, as the German has been playing big minutes in the World Cup of Hockey for Team Europe, a surprising participant in the final against Canada. It has been a good sign for the Islanders that he has played so much and stayed healthy, as well, having missed huge parts of three of the past four seasons in Boston with injuries.
But if he can stay healthy through the start of the regular season on Oct. 13, then it puts into question where the Islanders will put their young handful of blueliners. It seemed as if big righty Ryan Pulock was a shoo-in for a third-pair spot, having played 15 regular-season games and six playoff games for them this past season. But Seidenberg is a left-handed shot that can play both sides, and that leaves no one’s job safe.
“It’s good to have a guy that’s comfortable to play either side,” Capuano said. “We’ll see how it plays out.”
Also fighting with Pulock for a spot were Adam Pelech, a lefty who played nine games with the Isles last season, and Scott Mayfield, a righty who played six games. If the top four are solidified with Nick Leddy, Travis Hamonic, Calvin de Haan and Boychuk, then a good bet on the opening-night third pair would be the heady Thomas Hickey on the left and Seidenberg on the right.
Asked if that is an indictment of the readiness of Pulock, Pelech or Mayfield to play consistent NHL minutes, Capuano answered quickly.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “To me, my whole philosophy — ECHL, AHL, NHL — is never rush a player. … If you’re not ready for the National Hockey League, there is no rush. I believe that you have to develop in a certain way. It is a little bit tougher for goaltending and defense, there’s no question.
“Is this an indication [of the readiness of our young players]? I don’t know. Garth [Snow] is our general manager, he’ll see how things play out. But we still have a lot of exhibition hockey here.”
Boychuk, 32, had a down year this past season, playing through some injuries that hampered his mobility. He is dealing with a slight upper-body injury already this preseason, but said he is feeling better and is hoping to get into a game soon, their next one being Saturday against the Capitals in Brooklyn.
“It’d be nice to get into a couple games rather than just going into the season without playing a game when everyone else is either at the World Cup or playing a bunch of exhibition games,” Boychuk said. “You don’t want to put yourself behind right at the beginning.”
It also will be on Boychuk to help Seidenberg get acclimated to the organization and to Capuano’s system. But how much Seidenberg can help the Islanders is to be seen. The only thing that seems to be clear is that ice time on the back end will now be tougher to earn.
“He’s been around, he’s won with me before,” Boychuck said. “So hopefully we can do the same thing again.”