Islanders need an enforcer to protect Matthew Schaefer— but beyond just dropping gloves

CHICAGO — You can officially say the Islanders could use an enforcer after Matthew Schaefer was yet again targeted by an opposing player Sunday.

Too many teams have been taking liberties with the rookie superstar. Schaefer was lucky to avoid injury when Blue Jackets winger Mason Marchment stuck his knee out and tripped him Sunday, and it is natural to assume Marchment would have thought twice if the Islanders had someone who could make him answer for it.

Except you know who didn’t think twice in responding to Marchment by whacking him with his stick immediately after the play? That would be Mat Barzal, who last dropped gloves as a member of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds on March 29, 2016, and who responded despite one of the league’s noted enforcers, Mathieu Olivier, being on the Columbus bench at the time.

The Islanders need to protect Schaefer at all costs, and bringing in someone who consistently can fight — four Islanders have dropped gloves this year, but none of Tony DeAngelo, Anders Lee, Scott Mayfield or Kyle MacLean do so on a regular basis — may help with that.