Islanders' Mathew Barzal getting closer to making his return
Mathew Barzal of the Islanders takes control of the puck during a game against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 29 at UBS Arena. Credit: Dawn McCormick
The familiar wide smile and constant chirping were welcome additions to the Islanders’ morning skate. Top-liner Mathew Barzal, injured on Oct. 30, happily made his presence known as he resumed skating with teammates on Thursday.
Even better, he was wearing a regular practice jersey, not a non-contact jersey. And in further good news for the Islanders, injured linemate Anthony Duclair and defenseman Adam Pelech shed their orange non-contact jerseys for regular practice jerseys.
Coach Patrick Roy said before Thursday night’s game against Chicago at UBS Arena that there’s still no timetable for Barzal (upper body/long-term injured reserve), Duclair (lower body/LTIR) or Pelech (jaw/injured reserve) to return. But the signs finally are there that the time is getting close.
“It is [exciting] for everybody,” Roy said. “It just tells you that they’re getting closer and closer to getting back in the lineup. It’s funny, sometimes when those injuries happen, you feel like they’ll never come back. Now, seeing them close to coming back, I think it’s good for everybody.”
Duclair, who signed a four-year, $14 million deal to complement Barzal and Bo Horvat as the top trio, was injured on Oct. 19. Pelech was hurt on Nov. 1.
With so many of their top players sidelined, the Islanders’ goal was to stay at or above NHL .500 and remain within striking distance of a playoff spot while awaiting reinforcements.
“It’s great,” Horvat said. “[Barzal] is a big part of this team, a big part of this organization. To have him back skating again with us is huge, and hopefully he can get back in the lineup soon. We’ve done some good things and kept ourselves kind of in it.”
The Islanders entered Thursday’s game with an 11-12-7 record and were one point behind the Lightning for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.
“It’s huge,” Brock Nelson said. “Big parts of the team. When healthy, guys that we’ll lean on and be game-changers for us and play big minutes in big situations. To have those guys closer and out of the orange, hopefully we’ll see them in action soon. It feels and looks close and they look great.
“You always know injuries are a part of it and guys might go down. But to have the number of guys that we had go down around the similar time and be out not just one or two weeks but missing a big chunk of the season is tough. But I thought we’ve had a lot of guys step up and fill the role and do the best we can.”
The question, of course, is what happens to the Islanders’ roster when Barzal, Duclair and Pelech are able to return.
Taking Barzal, specifically, and Duclair off LTIR will have salary-cap implications. Barzal is in the second season of an eight-year, $73.2 million contract, and being allowed to exceed the $88 million cap ceiling by his $9.15 million cap hit allowed president/general manager Lou Lamoriello to recall Pierre Engvall, in the second season of a seven-year, $21 million deal, from the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport and sign Matt Martin to a one-year, $775,000 contract.
Having Barzal, Duclair and Pelech back in the lineup could necessitate Engvall, Hudson Fasching and defensemen Isaiah George, a rookie, and Grant Hutton or Dennis Cholowski being sent back to Bridgeport.
It also will force Roy to decide how to configure his lines. Horvat has centered Anders Lee, Simon Holmstrom, Jean-Gabriel Pageau (who likely would go back to centering the third line) and Maxim Tsyplakov at different times. Nelson and Kyle Palmieri have mainly skated with Tsyplakov or Lee.
“We already have an idea of what we’d like to do,” Roy said. “But everything changes.”
Notes & quotes: Goalie Ilya Sorokin started his seventh straight game with Semyon Varlamov (lower body) yet to resume skating. Roy said he and goalie coach Piero Greco have been monitoring Sorokin for signs of fatigue. “I try to talk to [Sorokin] but more to Piero about this,” Roy said. “See how we can manage the off-ice and make sure he’s rested when he goes in.” . . . Lee (illness) did not participate in the morning skate and was a game-time decision . . . Hutton remained a healthy scratch.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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