The New York Islanders are heading into the regular season with a little more clarity on Mathew Barzal, and that matters given how much the team leans on him to drive offense.
Andrew Gross of Newsday reported Barzal’s injury designation, and the update is encouraging for the Islanders. He is listed as “injured non roster” because of a left knee issue, and he is eligible to play the same day he is placed on the roster. Gross also noted that the designation shows Barzal did not pass his physical at the start of training camp.
That setup gives the Islanders flexibility. Barzal is not on injured reserve, so once he is ready, the move back into the lineup can happen immediately. For a team that spent much of the offseason without him, that’s a meaningful detail.
The original expectation for Barzal’s return was around Opening Night, and the Islanders would love to have him available against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has not taken part in training camp or the preseason, leaving a noticeable hole in a lineup that already needed more offense.
That absence has been especially important with Peter DeBoer beginning his first full season behind the bench. One of the bigger questions all offseason was how he would arrange his lines, including the possibility of Barzal centering a line and which players might skate with him.
New York enters the season hoping for a step forward after coming up just short of the playoffs last year, but the roster didn’t see a major overhaul over the summer. That makes Barzal’s health even more central to whatever push the Islanders hope to make.
The preseason is over, and the Islanders open on Wednesday. Their next game after that isn’t until Saturday against the New Jersey Devils, which means every day could matter in Barzal’s recovery and return.
In Other News...
Islanders Forward Group Sends A Clear Message About Opening Night
The Islanders locked in their opening-night roster before the 5 p.m. deadline, and the shape of the forward group says plenty about where things stand heading into the new season. The club officially carried 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies, with 19-year-old Victor Eklund earning a spot out of training camp and giving the lineup a fresh look right away.
Matthew Barzals status is the other part of the picture, as he is listed as Injured Non-Roster and does not count toward the 23-player limit. There is still no timeline for his return, which leaves the Islanders with a little more uncertainty in the short term even as they head into opening night with their roster set. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Enter The Season With One Debate Fans Cant Ignore
The Islanders wrapped up their preseason with a few final roster calls that helped clarify the shape of the group heading into opening night. Logan Stanley was signed, while Cole Eiserman and Kashawn Aitcheson were assigned to Hamilton, a reminder that the club is still sorting through its depth even as it moves from exhibition mode to the regular season under coach Pete DeBoer.
New York also closed the preseason with a loss to New Jersey, so the focus now shifts to how the lineup pieces fit once the games count. Bo Horvat, Ryan Pulock, Matthew Schaefer, Kyle Palmieri, Alexander Romanov and Semyon Varlamov are all expected to play key roles, but the bigger question around the Islanders remains how the roster settles after those last decisions and what it means for the tone of the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Just Added A New Twist To Their Off-Ice Rise
The Islanders off-ice ascent took another notable step this week, with the franchise agreeing to bring in a new group of investors as the team continues to build around the business boom that has followed UBS Arena and the surrounding development. The pending NHL-approved transaction comes as the clubs valuation has climbed sharply from where it stood in 2014, underscoring how much the organizations footprint has grown beyond the ice.
Scott Malkin is expected to remain the controlling owner, and the move is not expected to alter the teams daily operations. Still, any time a franchise like this opens the door to outside capital, it invites attention to what comes next, especially for a club whose rise in value has mirrored its push to establish a more stable long-term home on Long Island. [Read more 🡒]