Islanders veteran winger out six to eight months

Earlier on Saturday, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that the Islanders were fearing the worst-case scenario when it came to winger Kyle Palmieri.  That is indeed the case as the team announced that the veteran will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.  The recovery timeline for this procedure is six to eight months, meaning he is out for the remainder of the regular season and multiple playoff rounds (should they get that far) at a minimum.

The veteran was injured in the second period of Friday’s game against the Flyers.  While trying to get back to the bench, he intercepted the puck and made a quick pass that led to an assist.  Unfortunately for Palmieri and the Isles, it will be his final point of the season, capping his 2025-26 totals at six goals and 12 assists in 25 games.  It will also end his team's Iron Man streak, which had lasted 223 consecutive games.

The injury is certainly a big blow to a New York attack that sits in the middle of the pack heading into today’s action.  Palmieri had notched 54 goals over the last two seasons combined, which had earned the 34-year-old a two-year, $9.5M deal back in the spring.  At first glance, either rookie Max Shabanov or veteran Anthony Duclair seems likely to get the first chance to take Palmieri’s spot in their top-six forward group.  They should also get center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (upper body) back before the holiday break.

This is the second major long-term injury for the Isles within the last seven days. Back on Sunday, it was revealed that defenseman Alexander Romanov would miss five to six months due to shoulder surgery, taking a key veteran off their back end.

The Islanders are carrying a roster that narrowly operates outside LTIR at the moment, checking in with a projection of $32K in cap space, per PuckPedia. It’s likely that this will be changing in the near future if they elect to call someone up from AHL Bridgeport to take Palmieri’s place. Pierre Engvall, who is out for the season with an ankle injury, is already on LTIR.  With them knowing that his season is over already and Romanov at least eligible for regular LTIR (carrying $3.82M in potential added flexibility instead of the full contract value), New York shouldn’t get to a point where they need to make a decision on putting Palmieri on season-ending LTIR, which would make him ineligible to return late in the playoffs.

But operating in LTIR for the foreseeable future — if not the rest of the season — will have consequences down the road. Matthew Schaefer and Shabanov have significant performance bonuses in their respective deals ($7M combined), so any of those will likely now be charged against their 2026-27 books as a team that finishes up the year in LTIR has to take any bonuses earned as a carryover penalty.