Islanders Issue Injury Updates

Despite defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, the New York Islanders lost a pair of top-six forwards to lower-body injuries. Both Calum Ritchie and Matias Maccelli exited the game in the first period, and the Islanders issued firm recovery timelines for each of them today.

According to New York’s announcement, Ritchie will miss the next four to six weeks, and Maccelli will miss the next two to four weeks. Earlier this morning, concern for Ritchie and Maccelli’s availability peaked after the Islanders recalled Mitchell Chaffee on an emergency basis and moved defenseman Alexander Romanov to the injured reserve.

It’s a difficult blow for the Islanders to absorb, especially because they’ve been without center Mathew Barzal through their first eight contests of the 2026-27 season. Barzal is expected back relatively soon, but New York’s forward corps could be shorthanded for another month after he returns.

Offensively, the Islanders don’t have much room for error. New York has finished in the bottom 10 in scoring for the past few years, and has especially struggled on the powerplay. Despite beginning this year with a respectable 4-3-1 record, the Islanders rank 20th in goals for and 23rd in powerplay success.

It won’t get easier without Ritchie and Maccelli. With Barzal out, Ritchie was centering New York’s second line, scoring a goal and an assist in eight games. Meanwhile, Maccelli got off to an inspiring start, registering two goals and six points in eight games with a +3 rating, averaging 14:28 of ice time per game.

It creates an opportunity for Chaffee, at the very least. Although he didn’t make the Islanders’ opening-night roster, Chaffee performed well in preseason, registering one assist in two games. In his first six contests with the AHL’s Hamilton Hammers, Chaffee has registered an impressive four goals and six points.