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. 

Darche confirmed the absence is related to a left kneecap injury Barzal suffered two seasons ago. Barzal played 81 games last season while managing the issue behind the scenes, but it flared up a couple offew weeks ago. 

“We’re playing the long game here,” Darche said. “We’ll have to manage it all the time. He did have an injury in his knee, and that’s fine. There’s a lot of players that manage stuff every day throughout their career. That’s just something we’re gonna manage. 

New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) looks to pass during the third period against the Calgary Flames at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., Saturday, March 14, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

“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.” 

Barzal’s knee was what led him to pull out of World Championships in the spring, Darche confirmed. Darche said that over the summer, Barzal “skated a few times” and “a couple times, it flared up.” 

In the past couple of weeks, it did so again. 

Mathieu Darche, general manager of the New York Islanders, speaks with members of the media at the site of a new community and kid-designed playspace at the Cross Island YMCA in Bellerose, N.Y., Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post

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. Darche said that two weeks was an approximation, thus the possibility he plays in Toronto. 

Nevertheless, that still appears a long shot. Even if Barzal returns to the ice, skating is not the same thing as being ready to play. 

In his absence, Cal Ritchie is getting the first shot at centering the second line, skating Thursday between Mattias Maccelli and Brayden Schenn. 

“He wants the opportunity to play center if he can,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “I think he sees himself as a center. … We talked about, if you’re gonna play center, you have to go 200 feet, goal line to goal line. Some of that’s conditioning and skating, things like that. I thought he worked hard this summer.” 

Mathew Barzal (13) of the New York Islanders reacts after scoring a goal during the first period of a game against the Nashville Predators, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Though it’s easy to overreact to training camp lines and pairs, there were a few things of note Thursday. 

The Islanders opted not to start camp with Matthew Schaefer on his off side, instead reprising last year’s usual top pair with Schaefer to Ryan Pulock’s left. Tony DeAngelo was to Adam Pelech’s right, Alexander Romanov to Scott Mayfield’s left, while Isaiah George skated with Matt Kessel. 

Bo Horvat centered Kyle Palmieri and Simon Holmstrom on a de facto top line. JG Pageau skated between Emil Heineman and Victor Eklund. Ondrej Palat, Casey Cizikas and Anthony Duclair formed a line, as well. 

Aside from Barzal, the Islanders were healthy on Thursday. Romanov, Palmieri, Pierre Engvall and Semyon Varlamov — the foursome that spent most of last season rehabbing together — all practiced without limitation.