SUNRISE, Fla. – Mattias Timander is going to watch what he eats now that he’s been recalled from Bridgeport, the Islanders AHL farm team. Because the last time Timander was among the varsity, he was laid up for nearly the first half of training camp because of a stomach virus he caught in Wheeling, W. Va.
After losing eight pounds because of his violent sickness, Timander never really caught up to the rest of the group and began the season in the minors, despite his $1.2 million salary.
Now he’s back, though he has no idea for how long. So he’s trying to stay as healthy as he can to avoid any more unnecessary setbacks.
“I saw enough of him a year ago to know he’s a pretty good player, so I have no reservations,” Steve Stirling said after announcing Timander would dress last night here against the Panthers. “He played well when he went to Bridgeport, didn’t sulk and just did his thing. So I’m excited to see him.”
For the first 16 games of the AHL season, Timander manned the SoundTigers’ No. 1 defensive pairing with Tomi Pettinen. The organization is impressed with the way he handle the situation.
“He just went about his business,” Stirling said. “He was steady, didn’t put up as many points (four assists) as I would like, but they have some other power-play guys down there that may have taken some pressure off him. But I think he was a steady influence. He played hard and kept it simple, which he has to do.
“And I think he was a real good influence on some of the younger kids, so that means he had a good attitude and just went about his business, played hard and played his game as usual.”
Not only was Timander a roster casualty due to his illness, he also did not make the roster at the start of the season because of the fine play of the Islanders’ other seven defensemen. Sven Butenschon, a rangy and physical presence on the blue line, made Timander even more expendable.
“We had seven,” Stirling said. “And the seven that you’ve seen have been fine. [Timander] was eight, unfortunately. It didn’t help that he missed three or four or five days of training camp, but that’s all over and done with. There were seven in front of him that we thought were the best seven.”
Timander took Radek Martinek’s place last night. Martinek suffered a concussion Saturday in Nashville.
With trade winds again swirling, the Islanders may unload a high-priced defender in the coming weeks. Should GM Mike Milbury deal one of his blue line studs, Timander may be up with the varsity for longer than he expects.
