ELMONT, NEW YORK – JANUARY 18: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders in action against the San Jose Sharks at UBS Arena on January 18, 2025 in Elmont, New York. New York Islanders defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-1. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)
ELMONT, NY — New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche repeatedly said that his team’s doctors and Mathew Barzal are collaborating on when the injured winger can rejoin the team and make his 2026-27 season debut.
But it also sounds like the proverbial ball is much further in Barzal’s court than the Islanders’.
“We feel the inflammation is down, but we’re still working with him now,” Darche said on Wednesday. “It’s about getting his strength back and how comfortable he feels. He’s skating. We have progress every day. Could I give you a definite timeline? No. But every day, he’s starting to skate a bit more, and we’re hoping at some point to get in with the team.”
Barzal’s start has been delayed by a pre-existing issue stemming from a knee injury suffered two years ago, which limited his 2024-25 campaign to just 30 games. Despite playing in 81 games last year, inflammation of that knee sidelined him throughout the summer and the preseason, and prompted the team to shut him down for two weeks in late September.
Barzal, who is only skating on his own, still does not feel the strength necessary to get back into Islanders practice.
“We’re communicating with him every day,” Darche said. “He’s letting us know because nobody else can know how he feels. So he’s letting us know how he feels, and we progress like that… The doctors would be comfortable for him to ramp up whenever he’s ready. So it’s not ‘Oh, it’s all him,’ or ‘It’s all us.’ But of course he has a big say because it’s his body that he knows how he feels…”
“No setbacks. It’s getting him to feel comfortable to take that next step.”
So ultimately, it comes down to the 29-year-old, who is understandably erring on the side of caution rather than rushing back and increasing the risk of reaggravating the issue to the point that he misses even more time.
Regardless, this sounds like something he will have to manage for the rest of his career.
“When you’ve played 10 years in this league, most guys manage stuff for the rest of their career,” Darche said. “…It’s just part of being a professional athlete. He just has to get over that last hump about being comfortable and feeling strong enough to practice with the team.”
For more on Mathew Barzal and the Islanders, visit AMNY.com
