The New York Islanders made the right call by keeping Bo Horvat at home. It may not feel ideal in the moment — especially with a seven-game road trip underway — but this is exactly the kind of patience that smart teams show when they’re thinking beyond the next faceoff.
Horvat didn’t travel with the Islanders to start the trip, and while the initial plan was for him to be with the team, GM Mathieu Darche pivoted once it became clear that the best treatment path was back on Long Island. That matters. Horvat is dealing with a lower-body injury in a similar area to the one that sidelined him in December, but Darche was clear: the injuries aren’t connected, and the medical staff doesn’t believe this one was caused by him returning too soon the first time.