With Matias Maccelli, Cal Ritchie out a few weeks, Islanders make right call with Kyle MacLean, Mitchell Chaffee in

Top-six forwards Matias Maccelli and Cal Ritchie will be sidelined for multiple games with lower-body injuries. So the Islanders must figure out how best to sustain the momentum gained from a solid, 1-0-1 Canadian road trip.

Inserting two depth forwards for Tuesday night’s match against the Ducks at UBS Arena may not seem like an equal swap. But putting Kyle MacLean and AHL call-up Mitchell Chaffee and their honest, hard-working games onto the fourth line is a prudent move to steady the lineup.

The team announced on Monday that Ritchie, the second-line center, will miss four to six weeks after seemingly hurting his left leg or knee early in the first period of Saturday’s gutsy 4-1 win in Toronto. Maccelli, who was skating on Bo Horvat’s top line, is out two to four weeks. That’s actually encouraging news after he awkwardly appeared to stretch his left knee and groin the wrong way.

The similarities between MacLean and Chaffee are pretty lengthy as two U.S.-born depth forwards, ages 27 and 28, respectively, who have yet to play 200 NHL games. They won’t light up the scoresheet, but their blue-collar work is often integral to a team earning two points.

MacLean has been a healthy scratch the first eight games.

Chaffee was recalled on an emergency basis from the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Hamilton, Ontario, flying back to Long Island along with general manager Mathieu Darche, assistant GM Evan Gold and co-owner Jon Ledecky, all who attended the Hammers’ home game on Sunday.

There were other options at Hamilton, including that team’s leading scorer, Liam Foudy, 2024 first-rounder Cole Eiserman, or underperforming Pierre Engvall, in the fourth season of a seven-year, $21 million deal that keeps looking worse.

But the Islanders need MacLean and Chaffee’s simple, focused approach. Both had strong training camps but did not fit into the lineup construction to start the season as coach Pete DeBoer has been searching for the best balance among his four lines.

Things change. Injuries happen.

MacLean and Chaffee should blend in seamlessly and, along with Casey Cizikas, help the Islanders establish a forecheck that builds momentum for the other lines.

“This is why you play the game,” Chaffee said. “You want to play the game at the highest level. I feel like I can help this team.

“I play physical, so I can bring that. I love shooting the puck and holding on to pucks and winning puck battles.”

Chaffee, an undrafted free agent, first signed with the Wild in 2020, playing two games for Minnesota. He spent the last three seasons in the Lightning organization, where he impressed Darche, formerly the Lightning’s assistant GM. In all, Chaffee has 16 goals and 10 assists in 109 NHL games.

“Just the way he plays, the way he sees the ice,” Cizikas told Newsday when asked what stood out about Chaffee in training camp. “He works hard and he has the skill to go along with it. We’re excited to have him back up here and get this thing going as a line with me, him and Mac.”

The trio played one game together in the preseason, combining for the Islanders’ first goal (MacLean from Chaffee and Cizikas) in a 4-3 win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 22.

Chaffee can also play on the half-wall on the power play if necessary. But Simon Holmstrom moved to the first power-play unit at Monday’s practice to replace Maccelli and Ondrej Palat was inserted onto the second unit with Ritchie absent.

The Islanders have more familiarity with MacLean, a fourth-line regular the past two seasons after being called up in 2023-24.

Again, there’s little flashy about MacLean’s game. But he skates well and is not prone to mistakes. He has 10 goals and 17 assists in 172 NHL games and will need to produce at a titch higher rate to stick in DeBoer’s lineup.

He’s certainly eager enough to do so after sitting for so long.

“I’m pretty pumped,” MacLean said. “I’ve been patient. Just trying to stay ready and work and happy to get the opportunity. I’ll be ready to go.”

And to help the Islanders set a hard-working identity.

“I think we found a little bit of that last year with Case and Gats,” said MacLean, referring to Marc Gatcomb, now with Vegas. “What it came down to is we were just simple. When we were rolling, it helped the team having four lines able to go. I think it’s simplicity to our game, just playing hard and bringing energy.”

Ultimately, that’s why inserting MacLean and Chaffee after losing Maccelli and Ritchie does make sense. They won’t overthink the game or try to prove they belong with fancy moves.

The Islanders need that honest, hard-working style both will bring.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.