Injury Updates: Barzal, Zellweger, Mangiapane

New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche updated the media (including Stefen Rosner of The Elmonters) on the health status of injured star forward Mathew Barzal. Per Rosner, Darche “hopes Barzal will be back on the ice skating this weekend/early next week,” and the Islanders’ GM noted that Barzal typically isn’t someone who needs an extended period of practices in order to ramp up to full health. The hope is that once Barzal is back skating, which the Islanders hope will happen in a few days at the earliest, his full return to the lineup won’t be too far away.

The Islanders are set to begin their 2026-27 regular season tonight in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. Barzal won’t play, and will almost certainly miss the team’s home opener on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. It appears the hope is that Barzal might be fit to return in time for when the Islanders cross the East River to take on the New York Rangers on Tuesday night of next week. In Barzal’s absence, the Islanders have put top prospect Calum Ritchie in Barzal’s expected lineup spot on the team’s second line, alongside veteran center Brayden Schenn. A natural center, Barzal has more recently been utilized on the wing, and that’s expected to continue once he’s ready to return from his knee injury.

Other injury updates from around the NHL:

• Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff announced today that defenseman Olen Zellweger has been ruled out for tomorrow’s season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was noted that Zellweger, who entered concussion protocol on Sept. 23, has not yet been ruled out for the Sabres’ home opener on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Sabres acquired Zellweger, 23, from the Anaheim Ducks over the summer in part to help the club replace defenseman Bowen Byram, who they dealt to Chicago. While a concussion derailed Zellweger’s preseason, it seems it will cost him just two regular-season games at most.
• Blackhawks forward Andrew Mangiapane will miss at least the team’s next two games with a lower-body injury, reports Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times. Mangiapane appeared to suffer the injury on his first shift of the second period of last night’s season-opening loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Mangiapane will be sidelined for tomorrow’s game against the Utah Mammoth, and Saturday’s contest in Buffalo. The 30-year-old veteran winger opened the season on Chicago’s second line, skating alongside Tyler Bertuzzi and top prospect Anton Frondell. A former 35-goal scorer during his days with the Calgary Flames, Mangiapane has bounced around a few teams since leaving the Flames and arrived in Chicago from the Edmonton Oilers as part of the Oilers’ acquisition of center Jason Dickinson in March.