“The kid who won the Calder Trophy” has been the New York Islanders’ face of the franchise for the last five seasons. In his rookie season, Mathew Barzal exploded for 22 goals and 85 points, which earned him the Calder as Rookie of the Year in 2017-18. Since then, Barzal’s numbers have fluctuated. He has yet to get back to the 80-plus point seasons — his highest point total since then was 62 points in the 2018-19 season.
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In Barzal’s defense, he has had a series of different linemates for the last five seasons. Former head coach Barry Trotz continually tried different combinations to find the right fit for Barzal’s line. Jordan Eberle had success playing with him before he was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft in July of 2021. Anders Lee has spent the bulk of the past few seasons playing with him as well. Even players like Leo Komarov and Josh Bailey have spent time on the top line with Barzal.
Lou Lamoriello saw the hole last season and went out and acquired Bo Horvat on Feb. 5 last season, who is expected to center that top line, moving Barzal to the wing and, hopefully, creating more scoring chances. Barzal and Horvat showed some success in the brief time they spent together last season before Barzal’s injury. Now, with training camp ahead and a healthy Barzal, there is hope that he can be that top point-producer the Islanders committed to last offseason when they signed him to an eight-year extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $9.15 million.
Taking More Shots
Barzal has often been criticized for not shooting the puck enough. He is a skilled playmaker with incredible speed and an underrated set of hands that he doesn’t showcase enough. Horvat should take some of the pressure off him and allow him to play his game. Having the role of first line center for the organization is a lot of pressure and, on a nightly basis, you are most likely playing against every team’s top line, depending on matchups. Before he suffered a knee injury against Boston Bruins on Feb. 20, Barzal was off to one of his best starts since his rookie season. He had 51 points in just 58 games and his teammates took notice of his strong play.
“When he competes like he is right now, he’s skating, he’s making the right decision, he’s shooting the puck more,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “He’s got a great shot. When he’s playing with confidence like that, he’s a player who can make a difference.” (From’Mathew Barzal carrying banged-up Islanders with elite-level play’, NY Post, 1/4/23).
The Islanders also need more from Barzal on the power play, to rise from the bottom of the pack. He tends to hold the puck longer than he should, which creates turnovers and eliminates scoring chances. He is one of the only forwards on the team who could enter the zone effectively, and now he has another scorer in the bumper to dish the puck to. If Barzal can contribute more on the power play this season, the Islanders’ man advantage will improve drastically, and so will his numbers. The Islanders will go as far as Barzal and the first line will carry them.
Moving to the Wing
It was an adjustment through those first few games with Barzal moving to a different position and one he has to learn to adapt to going into next season. “I would say the biggest thing as a centerman is crossing over a little bit more, whereas winger’s a little bit more stop and start, kind of on your side of the ice a little bit more. I think that was one thing getting used to, I wasn’t in all areas of the ice as much as I was at center. There’s definitely a little bit of a mentality shift.” (from ‘Mathew Barzal’s position a center-stage issue in Islanders’ offseason’, NY Post, 6/3/23)
Barzal is a natural center, dating back to his Western Hockey League (WHL) days with the Seattle Thunderbirds. The Islanders have a surplus of centers on the roster and are very strong down the middle. With Horvat, Brock Nelson, Pageau, and Casey Cizikas, the team can experiment with a player like Barzal on the wing. The one question is who will be the other forward on this line? Will it be captain Anders Lee? Maybe young forward Oliver Wahlstrom is ready to make the jump after suffering a season-ending knee injury last season. The most important thing for that line is to get more shots on net and create offense. Hopefully, it’s not too big of an adjustment for Barzal.
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Barzal doesn’t seem to be concerned about the position change and believes the offense will come. “That’s ultimately not my decision,” Barzal said during his exit interview after the season. “Whether I’m wing or center, if Bo and I are on the ice together, we’ll be able to create… I’ve been a center for 15 years, so I wouldn’t say I was extremely natural right away but playing with Bo… [he] makes it easy because they’re in the right positions. They’re predictable.” (from ‘Mathew Barzal future as winger next to Bo Horvat uncertain: ‘We have flexibility,’ AMNY, 1/7/23)
With training camp just around the corner, the Islanders have a lot to be excited about their top forwards. Barzal and Horvat have the chance to do some great things together in the next eight seasons, and the team needs him to earn every penny of the $9.15 million deal.
