Islanders Star Returns Home for Injury Evaluation

The New York Islanders sustained another injury concern as their top center returned home for further evaluation.

Oct 30, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) skates with the puck against Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jordan Harris (22) in the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The New York Islanders have established a reputation for being offensively needy over the last few seasons. Especially since John Tavares departed for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Islanders have been searching for that star to drive the entire organization.

Right now, the Islanders might not have a perennial MVP candidate, but they have a de facto top player in Mat Barzal. He's been the team's leading scorer or tied for the lead in six out of the last seven seasons. Unfortunately for the Isles, they received some bad news regarding their top player. The team reported that Barzal returned to Long Island due to an upper body injury that needs further evaluation.

#Isles Injury Update: Mat Barzal has returned to Long Island due to an upper body injury. A time frame will be announced after he sees team doctors.

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 1, 2024

The team's first round pick in the 2015 draft has been the heart and soul on Long Island since his rookie season in 2017-2018, when he recorded 85 points. In the years since, he's often been the only source of offense for New York. He's collected at least 60 points in four of his seven full seasons. Over 510 NHL games, he has 130 goals and 317 assists for 447 points.

Without Barzal, the offensive burden shifts to fellow forwards Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, and Brock Nelson. That trio will be tasked with trying to make up for the absence of Barzal, but that is a difficult task for the Islanders' veterans to accomplish.

Mostly it's because the Islanders have struggled to produce any offense this season. They scored just 21 goals in 10 games for a paltry 2.10 goals scored per game. Without Barzal, the Islanders' offense will likely struggle even more. Hopefully for both his sake and his team's, the evaluation will yield an optimistic diagnosis that will get Barzal back into the lineup sooner rather than later. Otherwise, it could be a difficult and long period of time without their best player.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway OnSI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more! 

• Maple Leafs Possibly Flipping Newly Acquired Defenseman
• Maple Leafs Send Veteran Duo to AHL for Conditioning
• Seat Warming for Bruins HC
• Sharks Rookie Scores First Goals in Dramatic Fashion
• Star vs Panthers: Three Things to Watch in Global Series