The New York Islanders have announced that their star centre, Mathew Barzal has an injury and will be out indefinitely. The injury is listed as a lower-body injury at this time. It appears as though he was injured in Sunday’s contest with the Boston Bruins. He sustained an impact on his right leg. This might just make Lou Lamoriello and his Isles buyers at the deadline.
#Isles Injury Update: Mat Barzal is out indefinitely with a lower body injury.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 20, 2023
New York Islanders Star Centre Mathew Barzal Out Indefinitely
The Mathew Barzal injury comes in midst of him having a decent season with the New York Islanders so far. He has recorded 14 goals, and 37 assists for 51 points through 58 games played. In addition, he is having a standout analytic season with a CF Rel% of 20.1. This is made all the more impressive that he struggles with faceoffs, winning a disappointing 35.6%. Still, he manages to get it done offensively. Furthermore, his offensive output is aligned with or slightly ahead of last year’s clip. In 2021-22, he recorded 15 goals, and 44 assists, for 59 points through 73 games.
What This Means for the Islanders
This essentially makes the Bo Horvat acquisition from the Vancouver Canucks all the more important. The Islanders are currently in a fight for the final wild-card spot, which they currently find themselves in. Moreover, Monday evening will see the Islanders take on the team ahead of them in the wild-card standings, the Pittsburgh Penguins. This will be a good test for the Islanders lineup without Barzal if he ends up being out long-term.
The Islanders do have a couple of options as the trade deadline approaches in over 11 days. First of all, if they feel that their current roster needs upgrades they can make a move. For example, if Barzal were to need to go on LTIR, they would have some salary to work with. However, they are not really up against the cap limit as it currently stands. A few options to replace Barzal’s offence include names like Patrick Kane or Dylan Larkin. Kane or Larkin would both provide ideal offence in a rental situation.
Main photo by: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
