NHL News just reported that the Islanders have signed defenseman Ben Hutton to a professional tryout.
It's a quiet piece of business on Monday, but it lands right after a rough Saturday night in which New York was shut out 4-0 by the Oilers. Peter DeBoer's group heads into the week looking for stability, and any extra option on the back end gets noticed.
The post from NHL News was short and to the point, saying the Islanders signed the free agent D to a PTO.
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That's all we know for now. The length of the tryout and where Hutton might slot in aren't part of the report, so nobody should be projecting a spot in the lineup yet.
What we do know is the résumé. Hutton has played 575 NHL games over 11 seasons, with stops in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Toronto, Anaheim and Las Vegas. That's a lot of miles for a player who is now auditioning in November.
A tryout is the lowest-risk way to look at a veteran. If he fits, general manager Mathieu Darche can talk about something longer. If not, the Islanders walk away with nothing lost.
The standings explain why every roster decision gets watched closely right now. The Islanders sit 4th in the Metropolitan Division at 7-5-2, and the margin between a comfortable spot and a scramble is thin.
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | DIFF | |
| 1. Carolina Hurricanes | 16 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 26 | +27 |
| 2. New Jersey Devils | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 18 | +8 |
| 3. Washington Capitals | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 16 | +2 |
| 4. New York Islanders | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 16 | +1 |
| 5. New York Rangers | 15 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 15 | -1 |
| 6. Pittsburgh Penguins | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 12 | -2 |
| 7. Philadelphia Flyers | 16 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 12 | -19 |
| 8. Columbus Blue Jackets | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 10 | -10 |
What the Hutton tryout says about the Islanders' back end
Signing a veteran defenseman on a tryout usually means a team wants a closer look at its depth. The sheet doesn't list any injuries for New York, so there's no confirmed reason behind the move, and it would be a mistake to invent one.
Still, the timing is hard to ignore. A team that scored 40 goals and allowed 39 through 14 games is basically a coin flip right now, and a 4-0 loss at home or on the road is the kind of result that makes a coaching staff look at every pair.
My read: this is a smart, cheap move and it should have happened sooner. A team that's a single goal in the black over 14 games can't afford to leave a 575-game veteran sitting on the market.
The Islanders host the Hurricanes on Thursday, November 5. Whether Hutton is in the building by then, and whether the tryout turns into anything bigger, is the next thing to watch.
Should the Islanders turn Ben Hutton's tryout into a full NHL contract?
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