Recent Injury Update for Mathew Barzal is Not Good News for NY Islanders

Should the New York Islanders be concerned about Mathew Barzal's timeline to return?

Mar 28, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) skates against the Florida Panthers during the first period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With training camp set to start and the preseason underway next week, the regular season is right around the corner for the New York Islanders. 

As the team continues to transition from their old regime to their new one, they were able to exceed expectations a bit last year and will be hoping to take another step forward this year. 

The goal for new head coach Peter DeBoer entering his first full season with the team and the front office led by Mathieu Darche entering year two will be to make the playoffs. 

The Islanders were fairly quiet in the offseason, but with a lot of young players and some key ones returning from injury, the hope is that they will be improved. One player who is going to be key for them is Mathew Barzal. However, some recent injury news ahead of training camp is a bit concerning. 

Barzal Missing Time Would Be Concerning

Apr 3, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; Philadelphia Flyers forward Trevor Zegras (46) and New York Islanders fordward Mathew Barzal (13) battle for a puck during the third period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alexander Wohl-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the recent injury news to Barzal, there is certainly reason to be concerned. The talented forward of the Islanders won’t be skating for a couple of weeks, and that is the timeline for the first game of the season for New York against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Once Barzal is cleared to skate, it would figure to be a little bit of time to knock off the rust and get some practice in as well. 

For the Islanders, Barzal is one of the key players that they really can’t afford to miss too much time. This is a team that is hopeful to be a playoff contender, but they will need their star forward to be healthy. 

Last season, the 29-year-old led the Islanders in points with 72 overall, with 19 goals and 53 assists. That type of production is going to be hard to replace for an Islanders team that isn’t expected to be all that prolific offensively. 

What will be interesting to monitor now is who will take Barzal’s spot in the lineup. The talented forward was being considered to be playing some center this year, but with some other options, this could open the door for one of the young wingers to step in. 

Hopefully, Barzal won’t miss too much time and will be back soon. The schedule is a little light early on with just three games from September 30th to October 6th. Perhaps that could help him miss a limited number of games, and that would be excellent news for New York.