The New York Islanders currently have five players out injured.
Those players are defensemen Adam Pelech, Alexander Romanov, and Mike Reilly, along with forwards Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair.
Alexander Romanov is back at practice, and the team will take their time with him. Because No. 28 has been listed as day-to-day from the get-go, he can return to the lineup when he’s ready.
Mike Reilly’s concussion will keep him out indefinitely, and there is no way to know when he’ll be back.
Before we discuss the players’ timelines, let’s use some common sense.
These timelines are all subject to change, with a player able to return earlier or miss more time than initially anticipated.
So, don’t take this as facts, but rather guesstimations.
ANTHONY DUCLAIR: LOWER BODY
Duclair, who suffered his lower-body injury in their 4-3 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 19, was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and given a 4-6 week timeline.
A player on LTIR must miss 10 games and 24 days.
He’s eligible to return against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, but he is not on their road trip.
Duclair should be the first of the long-term injured parties to return. His timeline has him ready to go between Nov. 9, which is already past, and Nov. 23 against the St. Louis Blues.
MATHEW BARZAL: UPPER BODY
Barzal, who suffered an upper-body injury after colliding with Yegor Chinakhov in their 2-0 shutout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 30, was given a 4-6 week timeline. He was also placed on LTIR, retroactive to Oct. 30.
This was the hit I was talking about before. Barzal did finish the game. Drew blood. No reason to speculate what the exact injury is since we aren’t doctors. #Isles https://t.co/znE1q0ojUV
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) November 1, 2024
The recovery timeline has him back, at the earliest, on Nov. 27 against the Boston Bruins and, at the latest, against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 12. He is eligible to be activated out of LTIR on Nov. 25 against the Detroit Red Wings.
ADAM PELECH: JAW
Pelech was placed on injured reserve (IR) retroactive to Nov. 1 in Buffalo. A player on IR must miss seven days, his seventh being Nov. 8.
So he is free to return when ready.
Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
However, his jaw injury has a timeline of 4-6 weeks, which means the earliest Pelech is expected to be back would be Nov. 29 against the Washington Capitals, with the latest being Dec. 15 against the Chicago Blackhawks.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Given the circumstances, the Islanders have done a fine job staying afloat with all these players out.
Since Duclair went down with his injury, the team has gone (counting the win in Montreal) 5-5-1.
Since losing Barzal, Pelech, Romanov, and Reilly, the Islanders are 3-1-1.
The expectation is that Romanov can return before their five-game road trip comes to a close since he’s the only one of the injured parties on the trip.
A win against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and the Islanders could find themselves holding down a wild-card spot for the first time this season.
