The ongoing mystery around Mat Barzal’s return date may serve to obscure a more interesting question: How will he fit with the Islanders upon his return?
There’s no doubt the Islanders could use Barzal in their lineup as soon as possible. Other than Matthew Schaefer, he’s the only truly dynamic skater they have — the only other guy who can turn a nothing shift into something at the snap of a finger. The Islanders have played well on the back of their defense through a 5-3-1 start and received good secondary scoring, but Barzal helps address the most glaring hole they have — and one that, as the season wears on, will become much tougher to hide.
Still, there are two levels on which Barzal’s eventual return will necessitate an adjustment on his part.
The first is injury-related: Whenever Barzal does return, he’ll be launching into the middle of a season without any training camp or games, competing against players who have had plenty of both.