Devon Toews’ salary cap-necessitated offseason trade to the Avalanche meant the Islanders needed their remaining defensemen to compensate for that departed offense.
Nick Leddy has certainly risen to the challenge.
Leddy had 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) through the Islanders’ first 19 games prior to Saturday night’s match against the Penguins at Nassau Coliseum, best among the Islanders’ defensemen. That projects to a very impressive 35.4 points over the course of this shortened, 56-game season.
It would be more impressive than Leddy’s best NHL season, when he had 46 points (11 goals, 35 assists) over 81 games for the Islanders in 2016-17.