If you look at the New York Islanders’ injury report right now, logical analysis suggests they should be plummeting down the Eastern Conference standings. It is late December, the holiday roster freeze is in effect, and the team is navigating a stretch that usually separates the contenders from the draft lottery hopefuls without their top center, Bo Horvat.
Yet, a glance at the standings tells a different story. The Islanders are occupying a playoff spot. They aren’t comfortable, and they certainly aren’t dominating, but they are—to use the vernacular of the locker room—”hanging tough.”
The reason the floor hasn’t fallen out from under head coach Patrick Roy’s squad comes down to two specific forwards operating at contrasting points in their careers: the established star forced to carry the load, Mathew Barzal, and the trade acquisition who has rapidly evolved from a depth piece to a top-six necessity, Emil Heineman.
For a team struggling to generate offense, these two have provided the lifeline necessary to keep the season alive.
The Barzal Burden: Elite Production Through the Pain
When Horvat went down, the immediate concern was how the Islanders would replace his two-way stability. The answer from the coaching staff was clear: they wouldn’t replace it by committee; they would put the burden squarely on Barzal.
Roy has been vocal about his expectations. He didn’t need Barzal to just be a playmaker on the wing; he needed a number one center who could drive a line every single night. The response from Barzal has been nothing short of a menace to opposition defenses.
Throughout December, Barzal has looked like a man possessed. In his last 10 games, he has posted 11 points. His season totals—10 goals and 19 assists through 36 games—are respectable, but it is the timing of this recent production that matters most. He is creating offense in a vacuum, often without the benefit of elite linemates to finish the plays.
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However, this reliance comes with a caveat that should make the front office nervous. Barzal is currently managing a “nagging issue.” While reports confirm this is unrelated to the kneecap injury that derailed his previous season, the maintenance days are piling up. The Islanders are effectively red-lining their engine. They are getting maximum performance, but the sustainability of Barzal’s current usage rate, combined with a lingering physical issue, is the biggest variable for the team’s January outlook.
From Add-In to Anchor: The Heineman Evolution
If Barzal is the known quantity stepping up, Heineman is the found money that has balanced the ledger.
When the Islanders executed the major trade with the Montreal Canadiens that brought Heineman to Long Island, many pundits viewed him as an afterthought—a sweetener to make the cap math work. Fast-forward to the end of 2025, and Heineman has made himself undroppable. The scouting report on Heineman was always about his shot, but his integration into the Islanders’ top six has revealed a more dynamic athletic profile than advertised.
Heineman has elite velocity and has been clocked at a maximum speed of 23.4 mph. To put that in perspective, that places him in the top 3% of the NHL. He provides a transition threat that backs defenders off the blue line.
He isn’t just fast; he is willing to shoot from everywhere. Heineman currently sits second on the team with 12 goals. His game-tying power-play goal against the Buffalo Sabres recently was a microcosm of his value: he fired a career-high 10 shots on net in that contest alone.
He isn’t just filling a jersey; he is driving play.
The Metro Math: Margins for Error are Slim
Why is the individual brilliance of Barzal and Heineman so critical right now? Because the Islanders’ team-level metrics suggest a squad that is living on a razor’s edge.
The Metropolitan Division and the broader Eastern Conference Wild Card race are historically tight this season. Only six points separate the last-place team in the chaotic East from a Wild Card spot. A three-game losing streak is the difference between planning for the playoffs and selling at the deadline.
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The Islanders’ specific weakness remains their inability to put the puck in the net consistently. The team ranks 23rd in the NHL in goals-per-game at 2.81. When you score less than three goals a night, you cannot afford passengers.
This offensive deficiency highlights why Heineman’s shooting volume and Barzal’s playmaking are non-negotiable right now. If either of them goes cold, the Islanders simply do not have the depth scoring to compensate.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
There is good news on the horizon. Horvat has resumed skating on his own. His return is imminent, and it cannot come soon enough.
Getting Horvat back does two things. First, it allows Roy to manage Barzal’s minutes and perhaps give that nagging injury a chance to truly heal. Second, it stabilizes the lines, likely allowing Heineman to face slightly softer defensive matchups, which could unlock even more scoring potential for the young Swede.
For now, the Islanders are in survival mode. It isn’t always pretty, and the roster is held together by tape and determination. But thanks to Barzal’s elevation to true #1 center duties and Heineman’s breakout campaign, the Islanders are doing exactly what they need to do: they are hanging around. In the NHL, if you hang around long enough to get healthy, anything can happen in April.
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