Islanders Star Forward Out Indefinitely

The New York Islanders lost another star player indefinitely to injury.

Mar 5, 2020; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; New York Islanders center Matthew Barzal 913) skates with the puck in the third period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images / Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

The New York Islanders are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now. Winners of seven of their last 10, they've pulled within four points of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Even more impressive is that this team has been ransacked by injuries throughout their lineup.

That poor injury luck continues for the Islanders, and it's perhaps their toughest test yet. The organization announced that star center Mathew Barzal sustained a lower-body injury. The second major injury of the season for Barzal, this time the forward will be out indefinitely.

#Isles Injury Updates: Mathew Barzal is out indefinitely with a lower body injury. Scott Mayfield is day-to-day with a lower body injury.

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 3, 2025

This has been a trying season for Barzal. Limited to just 30 games, he's scored six goals and 14 assists for 20 points. Earlier this year, an upper-body injury kept him out for 22 games after blocking a slap shot.

Barzal has been with the Islanders organization since the team selected him with the 16th pick of the 2015 NHL Draft. He's played 530 NHL games with the club, amassing 134 goals, 328 assists, and 462 points, making him one of the team's top scorers over the past decade. He scored 85 points in 82 games as a rookie in 2017-2018 to earn the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie.

In his career, he has two 80+ point seasons. Last year was the second, when he tallied 23 goals and added an impressive 57 assists. Overall, he's compiled six, 50+ point seasons and has registered at least 45 points in every season he's played at least 50 games in.

To add a little salt to the wound, the Islanders also announced that veteran defenseman Scott Mayfield is dealing with a lower-body injury. While Barzal is out indefinitely, Mayfield's injury is being classified as less severe. He is considered day-to-day and should be back in the Islanders lineup soon.

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