NY Islanders report encouraging news on the Mathew Barzal return front

The New York Islanders could use a little good news right about now, and on Thursday morning, they finally got some.

Mathew Barzal took an encouraging step toward returning to the lineup, skating on his own for the first time since reaggravating a left kneecap injury during the offseason. It's not exactly the same as seeing No. 13 back alongside his teammates, but considering how the last 48 hours have gone for the Islanders, it's a welcome development.

Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers was bad enough. Learning that Alexander Romanov suffered a torn ACL and would miss the next six to eight months made it considerably worse. For a team already trying to adjust to a new head coach and playing without its most dynamic offensive player, the injuries are piling up awfully early.

That's what makes Thursday's development with Barzal so encouraging.

General manager Mathieu Darche suggested last week that Barzal might only need a handful of practices once he resumed skating before being ready for game action. If everything progresses smoothly, that could potentially put a return sometime next week within reach.

Of course, that's hardly a guarantee. Barzal still needs to demonstrate that his knee can withstand the demands of skating, practicing and eventually playing at NHL speed. There's also the reality that he missed training camp, the preseason and the beginning of the regular season.

The Islanders aren't going to rush him back for the sake of getting him into the lineup a few games earlier.

But there's no understating what his return would mean. Barzal led the Islanders with 72 points last season, and his speed and creativity bring an entirely different dimension to an offense that could certainly use a boost.

After a difficult couple of days on Long Island, seeing Barzal back on the ice is at least something for Islanders fans to feel good about.

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