Islanders Forward Mathew Barzal To Return To Skating Thursday

EAST MEADOW, NY -- The plan is for New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal to skate on Thursday, per head coach Pete DeBoer. 

Barzal, 28, missed the entirety of training camp, all four preseason games, and the first three regular-season games due to inflammation in his left knee. He sustained the initial injury on Feb. 1, 2024, which required a minor procedure, and has been managing it since. 

Although Barzal can be activated and play that same night given his Injured Non-Roster status, the Islanders would need to be roster compliant.

The Islanders would likely place defenseman Matt Kessel on waivers 24 hours before game day (at 2 PM ET), since players on waivers still count against a team's roster limit. 

But, there's also a decision to be made about the injured Alexander Romanov, who sustained a lower-body injury in the third period of their 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday. 

If the Islanders wanted to avoid having to waive anyone, they could place Romanov on Injured Reserve to open up the spot. Romanov would have to miss a minimum of seven days, retroactive to Oct. 6. 

Barzal likely will not be ready to go against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday as he'll probably want to get a few practices in before returning. We'll see how he feels after skating and whether Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning is a realistic possibility or not.