Steady Leddy

Contrary to his quiet demeanor, Nick Leddy's game has been anything but reserved through the last 11 games, where he's picked up 10 points.
With a secondary assist on Oliver Wahlstrom's third-period icebreaker in the Islanders' 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, Leddy extended his point streak to five games and earned his team-best 14th assist. In the process Leddy became the first Islanders defenseman with at least 14 assists through the first 22 games since Alexei Zhitnik did so in 2005-06.

While the 29-year-old is tied with Anders Lee - and trailing only Mathew Barzal (18 points) - as the second-leading scorer on the Islanders with 15 points through 22 games, Leddy's focus hasn't been on the scoresheet. Instead, the veteran has been fixated on evolving his game based upon his designated nightly role and being a consistent member on one of the Islanders' power-play units, currently ranked 12th, where he leads the team in power-play points with eight (1G, 7A).
"Nick is a true professional," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "He plays the game in terms of the way I've asked him to play. If he's on a defending pair, he worries about just defending. If he's on a group that he's considered one of the guys that has to get up in the play to support the attack he's doing that and transporting the puck and making plays. He has adapted his game for the team because he's such a good pro and such a good team-guy. He understands that. He's doing it. He's getting some good results."

Leddy is on pace to surpass his season totals from last year's 21 points (3G, 18A) through 60 regular-season games. And while his uptick in production has certainly been welcomed during this stretch, the veteran has been an all-around effective d-man for the team. Not only has Leddy been using his explosive skating to jet from zone-to-zone to stimulate the Islanders' offense, but he's utilized his sturdy 6-foot, 207-pound frame to shut down and impose on the opposition's efforts.
In doing so, he has strung together some complete - and dominant - two-way performances, like the one he put forth on Feb. 16 in the Islanders' 3-0 win over Buffalo. The following day, Trotz called him the team's 'strongest defenseman,' when reflecting upon the game Leddy had.
In the solid team win, Leddy played a game-high 24:25 and recorded a secondary assist on Jean-Gabriel Pageau's insurance goal. On the goal-scoring sequence, Leddy outskated Buffalo's Tobias Rieder along the left boards to gain possession and feed Ryan Pulock across the zone. Pulock then, sprung Pageau for a quick - and costly - rush against the Sabres.
"With [Leddy] when he has a game like he did last night, the things that stood out were his gaps were really good," Trotz said after the Feb. 16 contest. "Which is frustrating for any forward in the National Hockey League. He's hard to get around. I thought he was really firm in the one-on-one play down low and he made really quick decisions coming out of those d-zone coverages to pop a puck out and be a part of the play. He was a big part of Pageau's goal. He was skating. When he's engaged like that, I thought he was, by far, our strongest defenseman last night in my opinion."

And while Leddy has maintained his reliable defensive play and sharp hockey IQ during this stretch, he's also shown increased flares of offensive authority and a boost in confidence towards his playmaking capabilities. The bulk of Leddy's production has come from his decisive outlet passes, but he's also been a helpful consistent catalyst for the Islanders attack, especially off the rush.
"The biggest thing with Nick is his skating," Trotz said. "He's probably known more as a transporter than a playmaker, but his confidence is growing. He has an effect offensively. This game is too hard to score just with your forwards, you need your defense involved at the right time."
Leddy's ability to jet up ice has always been an asset to the team, but this season in particular, the Islanders forwards have reaped the benefits even more. With every game, Leddy's confidence seems to grow, as has the cadence of his cross-ice strides that are powered by his torching acceleration.
"He doesn't get enough credit for how well he skates," Jordan Eberle said of Leddy following the Islanders 7-2 win over Boston on Feb. 25. "Obviously, [Barzal] is fast, but I think [Leddy] might be faster. He does a good job of breaking pucks out and using his feet. He's such a good guy for the first pass coming out of the d-zone. You look at the play he made to [Barzal] for the 2-on-1 [rush], he's been unbelievable back there."

While Leddy's hot start to his 11th season in the NHL has featured some solid two-way stretches from the blueliner, he's still maintaining his usual modest and even-keeled mindset. After Tuesday's win at New Jersey, he was the first to criticize the play he made and credit the immediate response from Pageau that ultimately led to Leddy's 14th assist of the season.
Leddy had circled around the Islanders' cage, just as two Devils forwards pinched in on him on what could have been a costly turnover had Pageau not raced in and scooped out the loose puck in the slot.
The play still unfolded in favor of the Islanders; Pageau dished the puck out wide to Wahlstrom, who raced up ice and fired off a wrist shot to put the Islanders on the board.
Sometimes that's hockey.
For Leddy, his focus has been and continues to be playing an honorable two-way game and executing the role that's asked of him. The production during this stretch hasn't been a priority, but if anything, has been a nice reward.
"It's always nice when you can chip in and help the team win, that's the biggest thing," Leddy said. "Just trying to do my part in that sense. Whether it's getting the puck quick to the forwards, when they're trying to make that little play on a rush. I'm just trying to help out and chip in and when I can."