Several New York Islanders are absent for long periods of time

The New York Islanders have entered the 2024-2025 season with a 4-5-2 record through 11 games, but will be without several key players long-term. According to islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello, both Mat Barzal and Adam Pelech will be out for at least a month due to upper-body injuries.

Barzal was moved to long-term injured reserve to create salary cap space for the Islanders, while Pelech was placed on regular injured reserve. Both are expected to be out for four to six weeks.

Not only were Barzal and Pelech given estimated timetables, defensemen Mike Reilly and Alexander Romanov were also diagnosed with upper-body injuries. However, Reilly and Romanov are not expected to be out that long, as both were listed as day-to-day.

Barzal was recently sent back to Long Island for further evaluation of his injury. On a team not typically known for scoring, Barzal was an offensive leader. With multiple 80+ point seasons, he is the go-to guy for offenses on Long Island.

In 510 career games in the NHL, Barzal scored 130 goals and 317 assists for a total of 447 points. He represented the Islanders at the NHL All-Star Game three times.

In the ten games played this season, Barzal scored two goals and three assists, good for five points in total. He joins Anthony Duclair as one of the Islanders’ top forwards on the shelf for a longer period.

Pelech, meanwhile, is one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he has been a go-to face of shutdown minute on Long Island since the start of his NHL career.

The day-to-day removal of Reilly and Romanov from the lineup has also forced the Islanders to recall Grant Hutton and Samuel Bolduc from their American Hockey League affiliate.

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