Kieffer Bellows has made it no secret that he desires this to be the season through which he proves his price to the Islanders.
The 24-year-old not solely is competing for an on a regular basis lineup spot on the wing, but in addition he was signed to solely a one-year deal as a restricted free agent this summer time for $1.2 million. The message is so apparent it goes with out saying.
“It’s an enormous 12 months for me,” Bellows mentioned forward of the preseason recreation Tuesday night time in opposition to the Devils at Prudential Heart, which the Islanders misplaced 4-1. “I’m on the one-year deal and I’m excited to go on the market and have an enormous 12 months. Present that I’m able to enjoying all 82 video games and go on the market and, like I mentioned earlier than and I’ll say once more, confidence is excessive in myself. If I can play effectively and assist this group win video games within the playoffs, make it far within the playoffs, then I do know I did my job.”
Over his first three years with the Islanders, Bellows struggled to stay within the lineup, enjoying a career-high 45 video games with 19 factors in 2021-22. New coach Lane Lambert on Tuesday attributed that to inconsistency, the sort that each younger participant goes by way of. The time for Bellows to fall again on youth, although, is fading quick.
The roster math does work in his favor. In contrast to Oliver Wahlstrom and Simon Holmstrom, Bellows would want to go by way of waivers to get to Bridgeport, making an AHL project unlikely. There's a distinction, although, between merely making the roster and being within the lineup on a nightly foundation. Bellows was within the former class final season and Wahlstrom was within the latter. Notably, Wahlstrom performed each Monday and Tuesday, as a result of the Islanders wished to see him in recreation motion a second time.
Bellows, since re-signing, has spoken confidently about what he feels he can add.
“After I was persistently within the lineup there, it was simply my aggressive mindset,” he mentioned. “I used to be laborious on pucks, I used to be taking pictures the puck, made lots of performs and I really feel like my defensive recreation has actually turned a nook, particularly final 12 months, and I feel I’m gonna carry that into this 12 months.
“Working with Diane Ness, the skating coach, this complete summer time helped so much. I’m feeling actually good this 12 months. … My skating’s actually improved after which simply the aggressiveness on pucks, laborious on pucks, after which simply attending to the web.”
Bellows skated with Aatu Räty and Kyle Palmieri in the course of the recreation Tuesday, ending with 18:17 time on ice and two photographs, together with a three-on-two look in the course of the first interval that was gloved by Vitek Vanecek.
Lambert, who mentioned within the morning he wished Bellows to “impose his bodily will” and be a prototypical energy ahead, gave a less-than-enthusiastic evaluation.
“He had a pair probabilities, actually good likelihood within the first interval,” Lambert mentioned. “I believed he performed OK. I believed he confirmed himself OK.”
Bellows’ physicality — he completed final 12 months with over 100 hits regardless of enjoying simply 45 video games — is an space through which his potential stands out, however the Islanders want to see proceed to enhance.
“I feel he’s developed it and [is] creating it,” Lambert mentioned. “However actually it’s one thing that it's a must to be constant on. That’s the true key to it. It’s a part of the event course of and a part of that course of is be in step with no matter you’re creating.”
Because it pertains to the final spot within the prime 12, you get the sensation it's going to go to whichever participant is closest to the top of that improvement course of.
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