Mathieu Darche Provides Updates on Mat Barzal, Defense and More

New York Islanders General Manager and Executive Vice President Mathieu Darche spoke to the media at UBS Arena on Wednesday to share updates on Mat Barzal’s status and where the team stands through nine games.

Barzal Making "Progress Every Day," No Timetable For Return

Darche said Barzal has made “progress every day,” but there is still no timetable for his return.

Barzal has missed the opening nine games of the 2026-27 season with left knee inflammation and hasn’t skated with the team this season.

Darche said Barzal has not sustained a setback in his recovery and he continues to skate on his own as he works his way back.

“After the two weeks, we feel the inflammation is down, but we're still working with it now,” Darche said. “It's about getting his strength back and how comfortable he feels. He's skating, we progress every day. Can I give you a definite timeline? No. We hope it's sooner, but at the end of the day, every day he's starting to skate a bit more, and we're hoping to at some point get him with the team, and then from there we go from there.”

Darche added there’s a collaborative nature to the recovery process between Barzal and the Islanders' medical staff to ensure that Barzal is feeling ready to return to the ice with the group.  

Barzal led the Islanders with 72 points (19G, 53A) in 81 games last season. Darche said the Isles will not rush Barzal back despite being without Cal Ritchie and Matias Maccelli who sustained lower-body injuries on Oct. 17 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“We're progressing,” Darche said of Barzal’s return. “It's going in the right direction. It's just that next step we have to work together and make sure that he feels comfortable.”

Darche Pleased With Collective Buy-In To Defensive System

The Islanders continue to have a strong defensive start to the season as they’ve allowed the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference with 20 (19 excluding shootout winners) and have conceded two goals or fewer in seven of their first nine games.

Anchored by Ilya Sorokin – who’s fourth in the NHL in save percentage (.934) and goals-against average (1.72) – and Semyon Varlamov, the Islanders have fully committed to the system in front of them prescribed by Head Coach Pete DeBoer and the coaching staff.

That collective buy-in has been evident to Darche who watched his group hold the Ducks to just 17 shots on Tuesday.

The Isles defensive DNA was on full display as they erased the Ducks elite rush offense by tracking back in transition and making quick plays in the neutral zone.

Darche said the Islanders defensive system has key ingredients such as gapping up closely on opposing forwards, playing a physical game in wall battles and finishing checks to knock players off pucks.

The Isles have played to that identity through nine games and while it’s never easy to adapt to a new coach's system – particularly with a shortened training camp – Darche has liked what he’s seen.

“I'm impressed with our coaches, I'm impressed with our players too that have bought in,” Darche said. "The guys are believing in the process and the system is simple but you need to work and honestly, the last two games, I can't really find a player that can say, ‘well, he wasn't very good tonight’ which is great to see.”

Logan Stanley Shining After Late Offseason Signing

Darche admitted that when he signed Logan Stanley on Sept. 27 just three days before the season opener against the Maple Leafs, he envisioned him playing alongside Tony DeAngelo on the Isles third defensive pairing.

After the ACL injury to Alexander Romanov, which will sideline the Russian defenseman for 6 to 8 months, Stanley’s role – and the Islanders defensive pairings – changed. The 6-foot-7 newcomer was suddenly vaulted alongside Matthew Schaefer on the top pair.

Stanley has played at least 19 minutes of time on ice per game in each of the last eight contests including 26:30 against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 15, which is the third highest of his career.

Stanley has logged 20 minutes or more in each of the last four games and he’s brought a sense of physicality, playmaking – with his four assists – and elite penalty killing where the Isles unit ranks fifth in the NHL at 87.5 percent.

“What's impressed me the most about Stan is he's got way better puck skills than I thought,” Darche said. “... Just those little plays on the breakout, hitting the guy in the middle, and like getting it up the wall, the simple plays. There's a lot more skill plays that people might not notice out there, but he just gets it. He waits for the pressure, he waits for the lane to open up, and then he gives it to a guy in the breakout. He's been great for us and on the PK. Our PK has been phenomenal from the start of the year, and he's a big part of that too.”

Eklund "Has a Dog-On-A-Bone Mentality"

When Darche has talked with opposing general managers that the Islanders have faced this season, a common remark he receives is how noticeable Victor Eklund is.

Eklund’s game was on full display against the Ducks has he scored a goal, recorded four shots and a pair of hits.

His goal embodied how he plays as he supported a forecheck along the wall in the corner and after the puck was won back to Emil Heineman at the point, Eklund sprinted to the net and was left uncovered as he scored the rebound.

“He plays on the inside,” Darche said. “Even if he's not big, you see him win a bunch of board battles, which is great to see. There's still going to be a lot of improvement. He'll get stronger, he'll get faster but he's earned a spot on the team, and we hope he's on the Island for a long time.”

Eklund has three points (2G, 1A) through nine games with 12 shots on goal and makes a myriad of little plays that aren’t quantified by a box score.

It’s within those details – making physical plays to win pucks back, being in the correct spots in the defensive zone and forechecking hard – that have allowed himself to carve out a consistent top six role.

“He's not the biggest guy, but even in the third yesterday, he's one against three on the forecheck, he comes out from behind the net with the puck,” Darche said. “He's relentless, he has a dog on a bone mentality, so he's been great. I was happy he got rewarded yesterday because he could have a few more goals and he's going to the net.”