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

New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche announced that forward Mathew Barzal is expected to resume skating this weekend or early next week. Barzal has missed all of training camp and roughly two weeks of skating due to inflammation in his knee. Darche noted that Barzal made substantial progress over the past week.

The team plans to monitor how Barzal's knee reacts once he returns to the ice before setting an official return date. Darche expressed optimism that Barzal will not need an extended ramp-up period, noting he may only require a few practices before being cleared for game action.