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General manager Mathieu Darche of the New York Islanders expressed hope that star centerman Mathew Barzal could still be ready for the team’s opening night game against the Maple Leafs, despite Barzal’s absence from training camp due to a left kneecap injury. The injury flared up recently after being managed throughout last season. While Darche suggested a two-week recovery period is an approximation and not definitive, playing in Toronto remains uncertain given that skating alone does not guarantee game readiness.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Mathew Barzal, the star centerman for the New York Islanders, is unlikely to play in the team's opening night game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 30 due to an injury to his left kneecap. The injury, which flared up a couple of weeks ago and also affected him during the World Championships last spring, has Barzal currently sidelined from training camp as he undergoes treatment. However, Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche remains optimistic that Barzal could still be ready for the season opener if they manage his recovery carefully over the next two weeks.
Written for “Nhl Opening Night Injury Concerns” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Mathew Barzal “still has a chance for opening night,” even as the Islanders opened training camp Thursday morning without the star centerman, general manager Mathieu Darche said.
asserted
Darche → have → centerman
Darche confirmed the absence is related to a left kneecap injury Barzal suffered two seasons ago.
asserted
Barzal → confirm → injury
Barzal played 81 games last season while managing the issue behind the scenes, but it flared up a couple of weeks ago.
asserted
it → play → weeks
“We’re playing the long game here,” Darche said.
asserted
Darche → play → game
“We’ll have to manage it all the time.
asserted
We → have → it
He did have an injury in his knee and that’s fine.
asserted
that → have → knee
There’s a lot of players that manage stuff every day throughout their career.
asserted
that → ’ → career
That’s just something we’re gonna manage.
asserted
we → ’ → ?
“We had a meeting after the physical [Wednesday], meeting with the doctor, with Mathew, with his agent and let’s make sure we control that information and hopefully we’ll be good to go.”
asserted
we → have → information
Barzal’s knee also flared up ahead of World Championships in the spring, leading him to pull out.
asserted
knee → flare → him
Darche said that Barzal had a few treatments over the summer before the issue returned “a little bit more in the last couple weeks.”
asserted
issue → say → weeks
The Islanders said Wednesday that Barzal wouldn’t skate for two weeks, a timeline that runs into the Sept. 30 opener at the Maple Leafs.
asserted
that → say → Leafs
Darche said that two weeks was an approximation, thus the possibility he plays in Toronto.
asserted
he → say → Toronto
Nevertheless, that still appears a long shot.
asserted
that → appear → ?
Even if Barzal returns to the ice, skating is not the same thing as being ready to play.
asserted
skating → return → ice
The Islanders were otherwise healthy Thursday, with all of Semyon Varlamov, Pierre Engvall, Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov — the foursome who spent most of last season rehabbing together — on the ice with the first group.
asserted
who → spend → group
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