The New York Islanders announced earlier today that Mat Barzal will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.
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This was later updated to week-to-week, and he will likely only be back near the end of the season.
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Barzal is one of the most important players on the Islanders roster, and he signed an eight-year $73.2-million extension with team that starts next season.
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This is a massive setback for the Islanders, who hoped to be in the playoff conversation after acquiring Bo Horvat at the end of January.
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What This Means
This will effectively guarantee that they miss the playoffs in a strong eastern conference. With several expiring UFA's, it would be logical for them to start selling.
Players like Scott Mayfield will receive a lot of interest, considering his physical and responsible nature.
They equally have a good goaltender in Semyon Varlamov, who would provide great goalie depth for a team.
We will see if Lou Lamoriello profits off this reality, as it would be a shame to hold this Islanders team back from the deadline opportunities on the horizon.
Do you think the Mat Barzal extension (8x$9.15M) was a good deal?
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