ONLY IN AMNEWYORK
EAST MEADOW, NY — Mathew Barzal has not gone this long without playing a competitive game of hockey since he was three or four years old.
The New York Islanders’ forward last appeared in an NHL game on Feb. 1 before suffering a lower-body injury that ended his season. What followed was an eight-month journey that not only included an extensive rehabilitation process but also a cerebral journey that tested almost every fiber of his being.
“You never know how your body’s going to heal,” Barzal told amNewYork. “Obviously, it’s going to heal, but when you go through those dark days, you never fully know until you’re really skating.”
What has emerged from the other side is a fully healthy playmaker with a new respect for the game, his role within it, and the life that he’s built from it.
“It was tough mentally, physically, but being here now, I couldn’t be happier,” Barzal told amNewYork. “I feel like when the game gets taken away from you for so long, you have to dig deep mentally. Hockey’s so much of my life that when it gets taken away, it’s like, what do you fall back on? So I just got to know myself mentally, and I’m happy and proud of the way I dealt with it…
“Just enjoy every day, man. You just can’t take it for granted. This is such a fun life, and we play the best game in the world. Every day is a blessing.”
Barzal officially returns on Thursday night in Pittsburgh for the season-opener against the Penguins. He’ll be stepping into a team that has undergone extensive changes since he last suited up. The team’s new general manager, Mathieu Darche, has ushered in a new era and philosophy — one of access and fast, relentless play.
The Islanders’ top young defenseman, Noah Dobson, is gone, traded to the Montreal Canadiens. It was the second significant piece of the existing core dealt away after long-time center Brock Nelson was sent to the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline in March.
In Dobson’s place steps the No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer, whose swagger as an 18-year-old is undeniable.
New York’s forward lines have been tweaked. Matt Martin retired, Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov were signed in free agency, and Emil Heineman was acquired in the Dobson line.
The influx of wingers allows Barzal to return to his natural position at center rather than serving as Bo Horvat’s winger as he had the last two years.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Barzal said. “I love playing with Bo as a winger, and when we play together, we usually find our way back to the middle of the ice together. I’m excited to be a little more down the middle.”
A significant amount of unknowns following a playoff-less campaign last year, though, have diminished the Islanders’ preseason prognostications from the outside. But Barzal maintains that this team can be “really good” in 2025-26, understanding that he has to be one of the engines that makes it all run.
“I know the player I am,” he began. “I got 20 guys in this room that I love playing with. What matters is the opinions in here. Outside noise is just noise.”
A potentially significant byproduct lurks behind a strong start to Barzal’s season, as he has maintained his desire to represent Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina come February.
The hope is that getting the Islanders on a postseason track can “maybe open some eyes up with Hockey Canada.”
“It’d be the greatest honor,” he continued. “It would be a dream playing in the Olympics for Team Canada. That’s the pinnacle of hockey. I obviously had a bad year last year; they didn’t really get to see much of my game. Hopefully, I can come out and play well and maybe prove to them that I’m deserving.”
