Islanders’ Mathew Barzal to make season debut vs. Ducks

There’s excitement on Long Island, as a star player is set to return to action.

On Saturday, the New York Islanders activated forward Mathew Barzal from injured reserve. Barzal is expected to make his season debut during that night’s game, as the Islanders visit the Anaheim Ducks.

Barzal has not played at all during the first two months of the 2026-27 season, as he’s been out of commission since he reaggravated a knee injury over the summer, which led to him being ruled out of training camp.

The news came a few months before Barzal finished the 2025-26 campaign, appearing in all but one of the 82 games for the Isles. He posted 19 goals and 53 assists for 72 points, leading the team in scoring.

Yet, Barzal isn’t unfamiliar with missing time due to injury. He missed a total of 52 games during the 2024-25 season due to multiple injuries, including a broken kneecap. Had he been healthy that year, the Coquitlam, B.C. native might’ve posted 60 points in each of the past three seasons.

Barzal is in the fourth season of his eight-year contract extension, which he signed in October 2022. The deal carries an AAV of $9.15 million, with a modified no-trade clause, through the 2030-31 campaign. In 611 regular-season games in the NHL, the 29-year-old has notched 153 goals and 381 assists for 534 points, with another 45 points in 60 Stanley Cup Playoff contests.

Saturday night’s clash is the Islanders’ final game of their three-game swing through California. After losing to the San Jose Sharks, the Isles beat the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. The Islanders (8-6-4) come into Saturday tied for fourth in the Metropolitan Division with the Washington Capitals, six points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.