NY Islanders give optimistic update on Mathew Barzal's early season status

The New York Islanders still don't have Mathew Barzal in their lineup, but general manager Mathieu Darche provided an encouraging timetable for when that could change.

Speaking before the Islanders' game in Toronto, Darche said Barzal is expected to begin skating this weekend or early next week after making significant progress with the inflammation in his knee. Barzal has not skated in approximately two weeks and missed all of training camp, but the Islanders are hopeful the next stage of his recovery could move quickly.

"We felt that last week he's had really, really good progress," Darche said. "Barzal is not a guy that needs three weeks to get ready. You give him a few practices and he'll be good to go."

The important test will come once Barzal gets back on the ice. Darche said the Islanders will monitor how his knee responds to skating and whether the increased workload causes the inflammation to return. If the knee responds well, the general manager sounded optimistic that Barzal won't require an extended ramp-up period before returning to game action.

That's welcome news for an Islanders lineup that could desperately use what Barzal provides offensively. New York enters the season with questions about where enough offense will come from, and few players on the roster can replicate Barzal's ability to create plays, maintain possession and carry the puck through the neutral zone to gain offensive-zone entries.

The Islanders aren't putting a specific return date on Barzal yet, and how his knee reacts once he resumes skating will ultimately determine the timetable.

But after two weeks without skating and an entire training camp spent on the sidelines, the latest update was a positive one.

Barzal appears close to taking the biggest step toward returning. And if Darche is right about how quickly he can get himself ready, the Islanders might not have to wait too much longer after that to get one of their most important offensive players back.

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