First of all, the New York Islanders did not play an NHL team last night. Nor was that an NHL game, at least one that counts. Let’s get that out of the way. The New Jersey Devils you saw last night were not the New Jersey Devils you’ll see on opening night. And second of all, it’s the preseason. Nothing matters and the surefire NHLers don’t really care about all this.
That being said, is Aatu Räty already an NHLer? The kid looks ready to me. He looks a little raw—mostly his skating—but he was, in my opinion, the best player on the ice last night.