The Islanders will open training camp without Mat Barzal — and it looks like the season as well. 

Barzal won’t skate for the next two weeks after aggravating a prior injury, casing inflammation, the Islanders announced on the eve of training camp. 

Given that opening night in Toronto is Sept. 30, exactly two weeks from Wednesday’s announcement, and that beginning to skate does not equate to returning to play, it seems that he will miss time to start the year as well, though how much is not clear. 

Mat Barzal will be sidelined two weeks with an injury and could miss the start of the Islanders’ season. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

“He is actively working to get back to full health. There is nobody more committed than Mathew to getting his body to the level where he thrives on the ice,” the Islanders said in a statement. “We expect him to continue getting healthy and back in the lineup as soon as possible.” 

Regarding the immediate impact on camp and the start of the season, Barzal’s absence punches a hole in the Islanders top six, and disrupts coach Pete DeBoer’s plan to move No. 13 back to center. Someone else — likely Brayden Schenn or Calum Ritchie — will have to fill the second-line center job in Barzal’s stead. 

There is now a clear spot open as well for Victor Eklund, who is expected to push for an NHL job at training camp after a superb week at rookie camp. Eklund’s game looks like it fits best in the top six or perhaps the third line, and at least for the time being, the Islanders are in need of someone who can produce points in Barzal’s absence. 

Eklund, then, has a golden opportunity to prove himself irreplaceable. 

Barzal’s situation, though, might be more worrying than merely missing two weeks. 

Though Barzal played 81 games last year and was never injured enough to miss games, he dealt with issues behind the scenes related to a left kneecap problem that required surgery, ending his 2024-25 season. He did occasionally miss practices or morning skates due to maintenance. 

slanders center Mathew Barzal (13) looks for the open man as Tampa Bay Lightning center Curtis Douglas (42) and Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) defend. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

“Obviously with my injury there was stuff all year that I had to work through,” Barzal said on breakup day. “But every second of my day, really, off days or when we weren’t playing was just about managing my body. That’s just how I am. 

“Injuries like I had usually take a year or two years to really start to settle in and feel normal again. I definitely had my own program of staying healthy. I could have played every game this year.” 

The Islanders did not indicate in their statement whether this is related, and in response to a text asking, a team spokesman said only that it is “a previous injury.” 

Barzal initially committed to play for Team Canada at World Championships last spring, but pulled out in what Hockey Canada said was “a precaution due to a minor, preexisting injury.” At that time, the Islanders released a statement saying Barzal was expected to be ready for camp. 

The nature of that injury was undisclosed as well, making it unclear whether it was related to his knee. 

In 2023, Barzal also missed the last seven weeks of the regular season with what was suspected to be a right knee injury. 

Barzal’s production last season, at least, did not appear impacted. He scored 19 goals and assisted 53 — the total of 72 points was the third-highest of his career. He was the Islanders’ leading points-getter, with no one else breaking 60. 

After an offseason in which the Islanders did not make any major additions, instead hoping that Kyle Palmieri’s return from an ACL injury would help buttress their scoring, Barzal is too critical a piece of the puzzle to lose for an extended period.