NY Islanders made the right call in keeping Bo Horvat home to rehab injury

The New York Islanders made the right call by keeping Bo Horvat at home. It may not feel ideal in the moment — especially with a seven-game road trip underway — but this is exactly the kind of patience that smart teams show when they’re thinking beyond the next faceoff.

Horvat didn’t travel with the Islanders to start the trip, and while the initial plan was for him to be with the team, GM Mathieu Darche pivoted once it became clear that the best treatment path was back on Long Island. That matters. Horvat is dealing with a lower-body injury in a similar area to the one that sidelined him in December, but Darche was clear: the injuries aren’t connected, and the medical staff doesn’t believe this one was caused by him returning too soon the first time.

That’s the key point. This isn’t recklessness. This is bad luck — and the Islanders aren’t compounding it by rushing their most important forward back into action.

Horvat leads the team with 21 goals and sits second with 33 points. He’s the engine of the offense, the matchup center, and now an Olympic selection for Team Canada. Sending him on planes, buses, and into unfamiliar treatment routines just to have him “around” the team doesn’t help anyone. Keeping him home allows for consistent rehab, hands-on monitoring, and a cleaner ramp-up when he’s truly ready.

Darche said he expects Horvat back “way before” the Olympic break and would love to have him by the end of the trip — but if not, “it’s not the end of the world.” That’s the correct mindset. The goal isn’t January points at the expense of February and March. The goal is having Horvat healthy when the standings tighten and games actually start to feel heavy.

This decision also fits the broader theme of Darche’s first season: evaluation, patience, and long-term thinking. The Islanders are in the playoff mix. They’re not chasing from the outside. They can afford to do this right. Sometimes the smartest move a team makes is the one that keeps its best player off the ice — for now.