Mathew Barzal News: Feels ready for 2025-26 season

Barzal (kneecap) said Monday that he feels ready to suit up for the start of the 2025-26 season, Jackson Weber of The Sporting News reports.

Barzal missed the second half of the 2024-25 campaign after undergoing surgery on his kneecap, and he also missed time earlier in the year due to an upper-body injury. In total, the 28-year-old was limited to 30 regular-season appearances, and he totaled six goals, 14 assists, 24 hits, 24 blocked shots and four PIM while averaging 20:21 of ice time. While he indicated Monday that he should be ready for the upcoming season, he indicated that he may never feel back to full health in his knee. "Injuries like this, you potentially never feel back at 100 percent. But mentally, I'm at a point now where it doesn't really matter," Barzal said. While it's slightly concerning that he may not feel 100 percent healthy moving forward, it's at least encouraging that he intends to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season, and he should be in the mix to handle a top-six role for the Islanders this year.