The New York Islanders are preparing for the possible return of forward Mathew Barzal as he advances through rehabilitation for a left knee injury.
The injury has kept him out of the opening games of the 2026-27 NHL season.
Head coach Peter DeBoer said on October 12 that the team was hopeful the 29-year-old could rejoin the lineup soon.
A potential return could come against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday if his recovery continues without setbacks.
Barzal resumed skating independently last week after missing training camp, the preseason and the start of the regular season.
According to reports from Newsday and Eyes on Isles, his left kneecap problems followed an injury sustained in February 2025 and subsequent surgery.
The Islanders have not announced a firm return date, and his availability for the team's game against Vancouver remained uncertain.
The forward led New York with 72 points, including 19 goals and 53 assists, in 81 games last season.
His return would restore a major offensive contributor to a team also coping with defenseman Alexander Romanov's torn ACL.
Romanov's injury is expected to sideline him for at least six months.
Barzal's eventual placement at center or wing could also affect the team's forward combinations.
Mental and Physical Challenges
Bo Horvat, who has been producing offensively early in the season, described the psychological demands of returning from an injury while discussing Barzal's rehabilitation.
Horvat's comments came before he took an illegal check to the head from Chicago's Frank Nazar during a 4-1 Islanders victory on Thursday.
Horvat underwent concussion protocol and was evaluated afterward, while the NHL handed Nazar a two-game suspension.
"I think a lot of it is mental. Obviously, there are some physical things.
But to finally get out there and realize it's going to be OK or, you know, it's not, mentally, you don't know until you're in it.
As soon as that happens, you either jump right back into it or pull yourself out," Horvat told Newsday.
Horvat, the Islanders' captain, had scored four goals, including three on the power play, through the team's first four games.
He also emphasized how difficult recovery can become when progress does not match expectations.
"Especially timelines," said Horvat.
"If you're given a timeline and it's not responding the right way or it's not reacting the way you want it to, it gets frustrating.
We're all wired to play through things, too. So it's like, if it doesn't hurt that bad, it shouldn't be that bad."
DeBoer has declined to establish a timetable for Barzal's return.
Former Islanders captain Anders Lee, now with the Utah Mammoth, said Barzal endured considerable discomfort last season while continuing to contribute to the team.
"I know he's feeling better," Lee told Newsday. "[Last season], he didn't feel good at all.
He grinded through it and still had a heck of a year. He still produced and he was still great for us."
Lee, whose 2020-21 season ended because of an ACL injury, supported the decision to prioritize Barzal's long-term recovery rather than rush him back into competition.
"But I think at some point, too, you get to a point where you do need to also get it right and get it healthy, too.
So I think that's where he's at.
So I'm happy that he has the support from the team and the confidence in himself to say, 'Hey, we've got to do this the right way.'"
Lee said.
Forward Kyle Palmieri, who missed the remainder of last season after suffering an ACL injury on November 28, also discussed the challenges of regaining confidence after a major knee injury.
His experience has informed his understanding of Barzal's rehabilitation.
"Anyone who's been through it can tell you it's, I don't know if career-altering is the word, but it puts you in a position where things are very different," Palmieri told Newsday.
"When you look at it from a whole and the [rehab] process, I really did do my best to enjoy it and that journey, for me, gave me the ability to work on other things trying to become a better athlete off the ice.
You spend three, four, five months without being able to skate."
Palmieri explained that returning to competitive contact requires a gradual adjustment that cannot be fully reproduced through conditioning exercises or individual skating sessions.
"As far as the mental-physical ratio, you're kind of learning on the go. Things like battles and contact you can't replicate in a weight room or summer skates.
It's building trust.
I don't think you want to go into it thinking everything is going to just be completely normal and you won't feel anything.
That process doesn't end with the doctors clearing you. It's a continual process."
Palmieri said.
Barzal's return could also force DeBoer to reconsider the team's forward lines.
The coaching staff has several options at center, including veteran Brayden Schenn and prospect Calum Ritchie, while players such as Simon Holmstrom, Anthony Duclair, Victor Eklund and Matias Maccelli could see their roles change as the lineup adjusts.
Other Metropolitan Division Notes
Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division, New York Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere was named the NHL's third star of the week on October 12.
The 2020 first overall draft pick recorded eight points in seven games, continuing a productive stretch after the Rangers traded Artemi Panarin.
Although the sample remains small, Lafreniere's early scoring pace has renewed attention on his potential as a top offensive contributor.
The Columbus Blue Jackets also announced that forward Riley Bezeau had been activated from injured non-roster status and reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.
Bezeau sustained an undisclosed injury during rookie camp and missed training camp.
Columbus signed the undrafted forward to an NHL contract this past summer after he joined the organization on a one-year AHL deal the previous summer.
Bezeau recorded five goals and seven points in 24 AHL games during the 2025-26 season, accumulating 74 penalty minutes.
The Blue Jackets also named him one of the team's alternate captains for the upcoming year.
