Robert Bortuzzo wasted little time with his Islanders rites of passage.
“[Development coach] Johnny Boychuk dropped off some shaving cream,” said the newly acquired defenseman, who until Saturday sported facial hair. “I wanted to [shave] it for a while. We’ll see what my wife says. It’s a cool thing that everyone’s bought into.”
Bortuzzo, who made his debut with the Islanders later in the evening against the Kings, was more than happy to get rid of the beard if it meant moving to the Island. After a decade with the Blues, which included the high of winning the 2019 Stanley Cup, he felt like he’d played out the string there, having gotten into just four games this season.
Blues general manager Doug Armstrong told Bally Sports Midwest on Friday night that he and Bortuzzo had “talked over the last month or so” about finding the 34-year-old an opportunity where he would get more ice time. That turned out to be the Islanders, who were in dire need of defense help after Ryan Pulock (lower-body) became their third blueliner to hit injured reserve on Friday night.
“We’ve had a great relationship,” Bortuzzo said of Armstrong. “I thank them a bunch for finding me a home. We wanted to try and make it work in St. Louis, they were going in another direction. I think it kind of ran its course there. For him to be willing to work with me to try and find me a place, can’t say enough about that.”
As playing time goes, it’s not entirely clear how much longevity there will be for Bortuzzo’s spot in the lineup. That might depend as much on how long Pulock, Sebastian Aho and Adam Pelech are on the shelf as it does on anything Bortuzzo himself does.
Aho, who again skated with the team Saturday morning, looks to be the closest of the three to a return. Pelech, who is eligible to come off long-term injured reserve on Dec. 19, resumed skating on his own Friday, Isles coach Lane Lambert said.
For now at least, the hope is that Bortuzzo can fill a hole in a similar manner to Mike Reilly, who was added off waivers after Aho and Pelech went down a couple weeks ago.
“St. Louis has played very similar to us through the neutral zone and in the defensive zone,” Lambert said. “Should be a pretty easy transition for him and that’s just through communication and understanding.”
Traditionally a stay-at-home defenseman, Bortuzzo was paired with Samuel Bolduc against the Kings, with Reilly continuing to partner Scott Mayfield.
Though he came in without knowing anyone in the Islanders’ dressing room, Bortuzzo said he got texts from former Islanders Nick Leddy and Tomas Greiss, both joking about shaving the beard.
Compared to the Blues, a team currently in rebuild mode after the high of its Cup win, Bortuzzo was thrilled to be going to an organization looking to win now.
“It is tough [to leave], but I think that’s why I’m so excited for this opportunity,” Bortuzzo said. “Felt like I’ve done enough to stay ready throughout the year. Kinda done some of this coming in and out of the lineup throughout my career. Thankful for the opportunity, excited for the opportunity. I’ve known that nothing’s really give to you in this league. Gotta compete and I’ve had to do that my whole career for a spot. I look at this the same way.”
How does Bortuzzo view the identity of his new team?
“High-end compete,” he said. “No easy nights, a team that never cheats the game, plays the game the right way. I think you’ll get that same answer from a lot of guys around the league.
“I played in a place that kinda had the same m.o. For a long time and kinda paralleled each other for a long time here with some success. You can just tell there’s a fire and a compete among the group that is great to see, frankly.”