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New York Islanders Daily: Mathew Barzal Can Handle The Work Load

By Matt O'Leary
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 05: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders wears a "DIFD - Do It For Daron" hat during warmups prior to their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Barclays Center on January 5, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The charitible venture supports mental health initiatives and is named in honor of Daron Richardson the daughter of the Islanders assistant coach Luke Richardson. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 05: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders wears a "DIFD - Do It For Daron" hat during warmups prior to their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Barclays Center on January 5, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The charitible venture supports mental health initiatives and is named in honor of Daron Richardson the daughter of the Islanders assistant coach Luke Richardson. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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With John Tavares gone, Mathew Barzal is the new face of the New York Islanders. With his comments to The Athletic, it’s pretty clear that he can handle it.

It’s Mathew Barzal’s team. It’s no secret that the offense, and the New York Islanders too, run through the 21-year-old budding star. For the first time in his NHL career, he’ll be the main focus, and he should thrive.

Barzal recently spoke to The Athletic, and he came off as confident that he will be able to be successful as the main guy and a guy in Barry Trotz’s system.

Barzal cited the success of Kuznetsov, Backstrom, and Ovechkin as to why he thinks that he can be more productive in the defensive zone while also being a force offensively. The Trotz ideology has seemed to rub off on the youngster as he preached being more defensively responsible.

Ever since Mathew Barzal was a young kid, other teams have been putting their best defenders on the ice to shut him down. He did it in Juniors, and he’ll be able to thrive again in the NHL after a small adjustment period.

Playing alongside two quality wingers, likely Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey will certainly help his cause. One of the best storylines this year will be Barzal’s development. Sit back, relax, and watch one of the best up and coming stars do their thing. Johnny who?

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