Andrew Ladd Becoming Invaluable Resource for AHL Bridgeport | NYHN+

When the New York Islanders sent Andrew Ladd to AHL Bridgeport he could have gone there with sour grapes and hard feelings. First, it was a conditioning stint, and then it was a more extended stay.

All in all, Ladd appeared in 34 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season, while only playing in four regular seasons games with the Islanders. While Ladd has struggled to find a place in the Islanders’ lineup, the Sound Tigers were more than happy to have his NHL experience on their roster last year.

“Last year was fantastic, Andrew came down with a great attitude,” Sound Tigers head coach said. “He’s really an extension of the coaching staff. He understands what we’re trying to say and teach. He’s out in the room when we may not be in that room and he’s there to support what we’re saying. On the ice, talking about little details, talking about shooting and things like that.”

The Sound Tigers will again benefit from having Andrew Ladd on their roster this season. The 15-year NHL veteran started the 2020-21 season with Bridgeport, which formally opened training camp on Saturday.

Ladd’s time with the Islanders has been shaky at times as he’s battled injuries and a more competitive roster since he signed a seven-year, $38.5 million contract in 2016. Ladd has only appeared in 30 games for the Islanders over the past two seasons and scored just four goals and 12 total points.

The Islanders signed Ladd to the deal at the time to help replace the departed Kyle Okposo and add another veteran with a Stanley Cup pedigree to the then young locker room. Ladd has two Stanley Cup titles to his name, having won in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes and 2010 with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Now the Sound Tigers are the beneficiaries of that pedigree.

“That really helps with the young guys,” Thompson said. “They can pull the young guys aside. It probably means more if you hear Andrew Ladd pull Simon Holmstrom aside and say we need to be shooting in that situation here. Or we need to go to the net or we need to do this. They hear it from us, but they also hear it from a teammate and that resonates a little bit more sometimes.”

Beyond that, the experience makes Andrew Ladd and fellow NHLer Tom Kuhnhackl, who is also at Sound Tigers camp, role models for the younger players that the organization is trying to develop.

“Those players create an experience for your younger players and those younger players turn into sponges,” Sound Tigers general manager Chris Lamoriello said. “They want to hear, they want to look, they want to learn because these players have done it. They’ve been there and both of those players have had success. I don’t think there’s any question how important that can be to a younger group.”

Ladd still has another two years on his seven-year deal left with the Islanders, but it’s unclear what his future with the team holds. The Islanders had reportedly tried to move Ladd off of Long Island.

At last year’s trade deadline, the Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello was working on a deal to send Ladd to Minnesota for Zach Parise. The deal became too complicated financially to work out and nothing materialized.

Thompson believed that the AHL presented Ladd and the other veteran players on the Bridgeport roster the chance to show that they still belonged.

“It’s their opportunity to grab the bull by the horns and establish themselves as a leader of the group,” Thompson said. “Establish themselves as, ‘hey I belong here or I’m a dominant American League player or I’m pushing on the bubble. Or I’m a depth guy for the NHL, I want two more years.’ And you’re going to help direct those young guys and show what kind of team person they are.

“I really think that’s the motivation, is these guys want to show they want to be here and that they want to be here long term.”