Islanders GM Refusing to Let Player Play Over Ridiculous Reason

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Jacob LP
September 12, 2022 (0:08)

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New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello made it clear last year: every Islanders player must be vaccinated to play. Under NHL rules, unvaccinated players are eligible to play next season. Lamoriello's personal rule could result in Bode Wilde being denied participation in this year's training camp.

Due to the NHL vaccination regulations, the 22-year-old defenseman has played the entire 21-22 season in Sweden. Although he wants to participate in the training camp, Lou doesn't want him anywhere near the team.

From Andrew Gross of Newsday: When asked about Wilde's status back in July, Lou replied that it was "still in limbo".

Lamoriello could be in trouble with the NHL over that decision. The league recently instituted a new clause that protects players from being discriminated against because of their vaccination status. It will be interesting to see if the NHL decides to step in and protect Wilde's rights. As we all know, Lou Lamoriello rarely reverses his decision, and it would be a big surprise to see Bode Wilde in an Islanders jersey anytime soon.

A couple of months ago, Wilde replied to an Instagram comment with this statement:

Montreal native Bode Wilde could draw interest from other GMs in the league. In his first season in the OHL with the Saginaw Spirit, he scored 19 goals and 51 assists in 62 games. At just 22 years old, he still has some time to develop. Last year, the former 2018 second-round pick scored 10 points in 40 games with Vasterviks IK in the Swedish league.