Islanders’ Barry Trotz: ‘Thank God We Still Have Kieffer Bellows’ | NYHN +

It certainly has been a wild ride for Kieffer Bellows this season.

He has been in the lineup and then has been out of it. New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz has needed to see more out of him at times and has praised him at times and in the lead up to Monday’s NHL trade deadline Bellows was bantered about as a possible trade chip.

When the dust settled after Monday’s 3 p.m. deadline and Bellows was still a member of the Islanders, Trotz had one thought on his mind.

“There was rumors, like you reading all the stuff, that his name was involved in some deals,” Trotz said on Tuesday after practice on Long Island. “I was like thank god we still got him. I think he’s a really good player for us.”

Trotz has been hard on the 22-year-old this season, but fair when discussing the young forward. He has called out Bellows when he felt he’s needed to be stronger in certain facets of his game and he has not been shy about praising him either.

Bellows’ time on the ice has been limited because of the depth of the Islanders roster. He has appeared in only 14 games this season for the Islanders, even after starting the year on the NHL roster, and has three goals in that time.

What has been encouraging for Trotz has been the way that Kieffer Bellows has handled all the adversity through this season.

“I think he’s handled it like a pro actually, to be quite honest with you,” Trotz said. “He understands that it’s a process and you have to take it night in and night out. And really timing is everything.”

What does Trotz mean by that? Well, Bellows found his way back into the lineup on April 6 against the Washington Capitals, which had been his first appearance back in the lineup since March 27.

Bellows was held without a point, but Trotz was impressed with the way he played. Two days later the Islanders acquired Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri, which meant Bellows was back to watching the game instead of being in it.

“I thought his best game maybe as a pro was his game against Washington,” Trotz explained. “I mean he was matched up against the Ovechkin line. He was physical. He was on the puck and all that. Then we had some changes roster-wise and whatever and he gets bumped down. I’ve told him to his face if you’re ever not playing well, go back to that game because that’s how you’re going to have success playing.

“He’s handled it like a pro. He’s a young mature player.”

While many believed that Bellows’ time with the Islanders was coming to an end because of the lack of room for him to make the lineup, Trotz offered up an alternative idea. Trotz has said previously that Bellows would be a  “pretty important piece for us” going down the stretch run of the season, but the additions of Zajac and Palmieri make it hard to find Bellows a spot in the lineup.

But Trotz also intimated on Tuesday that perhaps having some time to develop isn’t the worst thing in the world for Kieffer Bellows either. The Islanders coach complimented Bellows’ shot and the detail in his game, while also noting an improvement in his skating ability.

And Trotz pointed to another forward on the roster that took some time to develop before really coming into his own.

“I think he’s going to be a real good pro for a long time,” Trotz said. “Just like you have to wait for players to mature, no different than Michael Dal Colle. I think Michael was playing his best hockey and then he got injured. We were talking early about wanting things right away, sometimes they don’t come that quickly and you have to let them simmer a little bit.

“Let them develop and I think Kieffer — just like Michael — continues to develop and they’ve become really good pros.”