Mathew Barzal was candid on Islanders Clean Out Day about the two injuries he sustained this season, limiting him to just 30 games.
“It was long, felt like endless hours rehabbing,” Barzal said. “It puts things into perspective when you miss this much time, the little things like being around the boys and competing. It was tough.”
Barzal suffered an upper-body injury on Oct. 30 in Columbus, just 10 games into the season. He worked his way back to game action in mid-December, but after returning for 20 games where he put up 15 points (4G, 11A), he blocked a shot late in the 3-2 OT win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 1, which ultimately ended his season.
Facing a second setback in the season and going through the rehab process twice was tough for Barzal, who said it was a challenge on the mental side of things. As a competitor, he opened up about how hard it was to watch games and not be able to contribute or be there for big moments.
“There’s nothing better than going on the road and winning a big game,” Barzal said. “Not being a part of that kind of stuff killed me. I’m not sugarcoating it, it was horrible mentally but I’m fortunate to have a lot of great guys in this room and great staff, coaches and management to lift my spirits.”
Though dealing with two separate injuries shaped his eighth NHL season, Barzal found solace in being able to develop a positive mindset while sidelined.
“At the end of the day, it is what it is and it strengthened me mentally to be positive every day,” Barzal continued. “I grew mentally for sure.”
Barzal was not technically ruled out for the season, but Islanders President and GM Lou Lamoriello clarified on Mar. 7 that Barzal would not return unless he is 100%. When the team was making a playoff push at the end of March – getting as close as one point back of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference on Mar. 24 – Barzal was ramping up to try and return for the playoffs had the team made it, but when chances fell out of reach, he pivoted to preparing for next season.
Though the team ultimately fell short of their goal of making the playoffs, Barzal said his teammates battled hard in the effort.
“I just really wanted the boys to win and try to make a playoff push,” Barzal said. “Maybe I had a sniff to get back, but they did everything they could and not one guy left anything behind.”
Barzal posted a career-high in goals (23) in his second career 80-point season in the 2023-24 campaign. He’s determined to return to that level of production when fully healthy, with his full focus on next season, eager to help the team again.
“The drive to get back to the player I was coming into camp is at an all-time high,” Barzal said. “I feel like I have an internal drive to always push through anything so it’s just a bump in the road.”
