The 33-year-old forward completed a conditioning stint at Bridgeport of the American Hockey League after recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL on May 31. Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello told Newsday the team had not seen enough from Ladd to believe he's ready to return to the NHL. If Ladd clears, he'll be reassigned to Bridgeport.
"He needs to play in games to see exactly where the strength is and where the liabilities are, and so forth," Lamoriello said. "He'll leave today to go up to Belleville and play this weekend.
"There's no timetable. His play, his physical fitness will determine that. We maximized the conditioning rule within the framework of the CBA. This, I believe, is the best for him and the best for us. He's extremely receptive. He's worked very hard. He's come off one knee of two operations and now the good knee having another one, so we'll just have to wait and see."
Ladd, who signed a seven-year contract with the Islanders on July 1, 2016, has 71 points (38 goals, 33 assists) in 177 games with New York.
Chosen with the No. 4 pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2004 NHL Draft, Ladd has 537 points (248 goals, 289 assists) in 946 NHL games for the Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets and Islanders. Ladd, who was Jets captain from 2010 until he was traded to the Blackhawks on Feb. 25, 2016, won the Stanley Cup with Carolina (2006) and Chicago (2010).
"You can't buy experience," Lamoriello said. "He certainly knows what it is to win. Quality individual, team guy. All we can do is make decisions for today and tomorrow."
The Islanders (13-3-1), who visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, MSG+ 2, NHL.TV), have a 13-game point streak (12-0-1).
