Following the New York Islanders’ 5-3 win on Tuesday night over the Arizona Coyotes, head coach Doug Weight was asked about the status of winger Josh Ho-Sang, who had sat out the previous two games as a healthy scratch.
“I don’t know. Maybe Thursday…I’m not afraid of putting Josh in.” Weight said. “I think he earned this time out of the lineup. Not in a bad way, not in a behavioral way. I think it’s important to his development. Every kid is developed a different way. I think it was really good for him to watch those two games and we’re going to talk again on [Wednesday] and figure it out. But I am completely confident with Mr. Ho-Sang in our lineup. I just thought this was the best way to go.”
On Wednesday though, the team announced that instead of Ho-Sang playing on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild, they would send him down to AHL Bridgeport.
The 21-year-old is undoubtedly the future of the Islanders as he’s shown flashes of becoming a premier playmaker in the NHL. In six games this season, he tallied four points, all assists.
And while it might just be for developmental purposes or to give him consistent playing time, the decision to send him down did not sit well with Islanders fans.
Some just couldn’t comprehend what happened:
— Connor Bennett (@ConnorBennett14) October 25, 2017
— Matt W (@Mchuck16) October 25, 2017
— The Jackal (@DavidJaycox) October 25, 2017
Josh Ho-Sang to Bridgeport.
How in the…what? This is no longer about turnovers. #isles
— Eyes on Isles (@eyesonislesFS) October 25, 2017
Some saw this as a tiny blip on the radar:
When Josh Ho-Sang comes back up, and makes better decisions & sets the world on fire, this demotion will just be a thing of the past #Isles
— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) October 25, 2017
I suspect Ho-Sang will be back with the #Isles shortly, but that’s not the point. The issue is, this shouldn’t be the approach.
— Daniel Friedman (@DanJFriedman) October 25, 2017
Others are waiting for him to start looking for a way out of town:
Congratulations to whichever team eventually picks up Josh Ho-Sang for nothing then sees him become a superstar. https://t.co/O7Odf9mwj3
— Jesse Spector (@jessespector) October 25, 2017
