Former Seattle T-Birds star Mathew Barzal hurt on eve of Islanders camp

The former Seattle Thunderbirds star aggravated a previous injury, the Islanders said on the eve of training camp.

BY STEPHEN WHYNO, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sep 16, 2026, 2:06 PM

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Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders skates against Alex Wennberg of the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Nov. 16, 2023. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal is not expected to skate for the next two weeks after the former Seattle Thunderbirds star aggravated a previous injury, the team said Wednesday on the eve of the start of training camp.

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With camps shortened around the NHL because of the new, 84-game schedule and the Islanders set to start the season in two weeks, Sept. 30 at Toronto, this puts Barzal’s chances of being ready for the opener in jeopardy.

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

Barzal, 29, is the Islanders’ highest-paid player and was their leading scorer last season with 72 points, when he skated in 81 of 82 games. Injuries limited him to 30 games in 2024-25.

The first sessions of training camp are Thursday, with coach Peter DeBoer running the show. DeBoer, who took over with four games left last season, mentioned Barzal as part of the leadership around new captain Bo Horvat.

Seattle Sports staff made minor alterations to this post.

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