Islanders’ Mat Barzal undergoes procedure on kneecap with return timeline murky

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Mathew Barzal underwent a procedure on a presumed left kneecap injury, The Post confirmed.

An Islanders spokesman said that Barzal is still out indefinitely, with an exact timeline to come once his post-surgery plan is determined.

Coach Patrick Roy did not comment when asked about Barzal before the Islanders’ 6-3 loss to the Wild.

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The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun initially reported the news, saying the procedure was done Thursday on Barzal’s kneecap and that the normal recovery timeline for Barzal’s procedure is six weeks.

A six-week timetable would be relatively good news for the Islanders if it aligns with Barzal’s return to play. Roy was unable to guarantee Barzal would be back by the end of the regular season when asked last week.

Six weeks from now would be in late March.

Nevertheless, it’s not known whether a six-week recovery equates to a six-week timeline for a return.

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Barzal has not yet been placed on long-term injured reserve, which would allow the Islanders an extra $9.15 million of salary cap space ahead of the trade deadline.

He was placed on injured reserve ahead of the trip to Winnipeg and Minnesota, which gave the Islanders a roster spot to activate Hudson Fasching.

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If Barzal won’t be ready until after the regular season, the extra space would allow Lou Lamoriello to go big game hunting at the trade deadline without needing to match salaries.

If the Islanders — who by all indications are not yet looking into selling despite being out of the playoff picture — are going to try to win this season, then trying to replace Barzal’s offense would be a logical step to take.

Without Barzal — who missed time with an upper-body injury earlier this season — the Islanders are without their best skater and most dynamic player.

Though he was not the best version of himself this season when healthy, there has been a marked hole in the top line just in the last week since the injury occurred.

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There is nobody on the roster who brings what Barzal brings.

The Islanders would need to look elsewhere for that.

Going into Saturday, the Wild had beaten the Islanders in six straight matchups, with the Islanders’ last win having come on Dec. 29, 2019 in Minnesota.

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Dennis Cholowski played just nine shifts on Friday for 6:14 of ice time, including just 4:27 at even strength.

The Islanders traveled with just six active defensemen, meaning there was little choice but to keep Cholowski in the lineup on Saturday.

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Goalie Filip Gustavsson got the starting nod for Minnesota on Sunday.

Ilya Sorokin started on a second straight day for the Islanders.