The frustrations of New York Islanders fans are reaching a fever pitch when it comes to the status of star forward Mathew Barzal.
He has yet to take the ice this season, dealing with a knee ailment that popped up right before training camp. It was announced he wouldn’t be skating for a few weeks, with the timeline running right up to the start of the regular season.
Barzal didn’t participate in any part of training camp, and while he did start skating in recent weeks, it is all individual work. He still isn’t taking part in team activities on the ice, which has led to another discouraging update from head coach Peter DeBoer.
While speaking to the media after practice on Saturday, he was asked whether any of the injured players were traveling with the team. He revealed that none of them traveled, which means none of them will be playing during the three-game road trip the Islanders are embarking on, which starts with a visit to one of DeBoer’s former teams, the Dallas Stars.
Mathew Barzal still not traveling with Islanders
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, they will play the Nashville Predators, and on Thursday, Oct. 29, they will take on the Minnesota Wild. Barzal will not be playing in any of those games, with the next opportunity for him to be on the ice being Halloween, when New York hosts the Edmonton Oilers at UBS Arena.
It isn’t surprising that Calum Ritchie and Matias Maccelli aren’t traveling with the team. Both suffered lower-body injuries against the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 4-1 win on Oct. 17. Ritchie is going to be sidelined for at least four weeks, with Maccelli out for at least two.
Both players will likely be sidelined until the calendar flips to November; Barzal being on a similar timeline was certainly not what anyone was expecting when news of his knee ailment was first reported, but he is going to miss at least the first 13 games and counting.
It is a disappointing development. Barzal’s skill set is one that the Islanders could use in their top-six, as his speed and athleticism would match up well with that of defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who has taken his performance to another level in Year 2.
Being without one top-six forward in Barzal is hard enough. Now, being without three total, New York is facing an uphill battle for the next few weeks, putting pressure on other players, such as Victor Eklund, Simon Holmstrom and Ondrej Palat, to step up their performance.
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