One of the few positive developments for the Islanders over the last couple of months of last season was Simon Holmstrom’s emergence into the top six, with the Swede hitting the 20-goal mark for the first time.
There had been a few false starts for Holmstrom in the top six, but this was the first time he asserted himself there and looked comfortable taking charge on offense. The results followed.
So one of the more jarring parts of the Islanders’ 0-3-0 start to the season has been Holmstrom not only failing to win back a top-six role during camp, but getting dropped to the fourth line — where he last played at the tail end of the 2023-24 season — ahead of Saturday’s loss to the Jets.
Indicators in Wednesday’s practice were that Holmstrom would be on the fourth line again in Thursday’s home contest against the Oilers, as he skated with Casey Cizikas and Kyle MacLean.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
