Islanders Activate Mathew Barzal, Place Kyle MacLean On Waivers

The Islanders are set to welcome back a key part of their offense.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated center Mathew Barzal off injured reserve.  To make room on the roster, forward Kyle MacLean has been placed on waivers with a non-roster designation.

Barzal has yet to play this season as he has been working his way back from a lingering knee issue.  The 29-year-old will undoubtedly be a welcome addition to a forward group that has struggled offensively this season.  Entering today’s action, they’re averaging just 2.94 goals per game which has placed a lot of extra pressure on their goaltending.  The end result has them sitting outside the playoffs, sitting fifth in the Metropolitan Division with 20 points in 18 games.

Last season, Barzal had one of his top offensive seasons, tallying 19 goals and 53 assists in 81 games; his 72 points were the third-highest mark of his career.  While his 2024-25 campaign was mired by injuries, he had an 80-point effort the year before that.  Accordingly, it’s realistic to hope that he’ll be able to pitch in around a 70-80-point (full-season) pace which would give New York’s attack a big boost.

Head coach Peter DeBoer has a couple of options with Barzal.  They could deploy him down the middle, pushing Brayden Schenn into a third-line role.  However, with Schenn checking in just below the point-per-game mark, they may prefer to keep him in the top six.  In that case, Barzal would likely line up on the wing on one of the top two lines, a role he has held previously when he played alongside top-line pivot Bo Horvat.

As for MacLean, his placement on waivers shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.  He has played sparingly, suiting up in just eight games this season, averaging less than 10 minutes per night when he has dressed.  He’s still looking for his first point while he has 21 hits and 17 penalty minutes.

The 27-year-old is in the final season of a three-year, one-way minimum-salary deal and will be set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.  MacLean has 180 career NHL games under his belt over parts of four seasons, recording 27 points, 310 hits, and 82 penalty minutes in that span.  Teams will have until 1 PM CT to place a claim on MacLean.  If no one does, he’ll be able to be sent down to AHL Hamilton.