Barzal to center as Islanders lean on gradual return; Ritchie waits

The New York Islanders plan to move Mat Barzal back to center for the coming season, a shift meant to anchor the lineup until top prospect Calum Ritchie is ready to make the leap to the NHL, per a New York Post report. Barzal spent last season on the wing alongside Bo Horvat after the Islanders acquired Horvat at the 2023 All-Star break, but the organization views a return to the middle as the best way to balance the lineup while Barzal recovers from a kneecap injury that ended his season in February and required surgery.

"I think it's going to take a bit of time, but that's what we have. We have time," Islanders coach Patrick Roy said Friday. "We'll see how it goes and right now, I think it's going to be some adjustments he's going to have to make." Barzal looked good at the position Friday during the Islanders’ intrasquad scrimmage, when he centered Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri, and he sounded a positive note afterward. "I feel like I’ve played it my whole life," he said. "So, it’s like riding a bike a little bit."

One potential snag is that Barzal has always struggled in the faceoff circle, winning just 42.3 percent of his career faceoffs, with a 35.6 percent rate in 2022-23 when he last played in the middle regularly. The Islanders were the league’s best faceoff team last year at 54.9 percent. "He’s going to work with Benoit Desrosiers and he’s got some of the best centermen at faceoffs in Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Horvat," Roy said. "So he’s going to have plenty of time to work with and it’s just a bit of commitment from him wanting to do it."

Earlier this week, Barzal made a point of saying he hopes he still can get some minutes with Horvat, even if the two are primarily split up, since they’ve built strong chemistry together. If he starts the year at center, those end-of-game minutes could come when the Islanders are pushing for a goal to close out tight contests.

Assuming he starts the season at center, the lineup plan hinges largely on Barzal’s transition, with Calum Ritchie waiting in the wings as a prospect who could push for a regular NHL role once he’s ready. The team will gauge how quickly Barzal can reestablish chemistry with his line mates while also integrating new systems after the Horvat era began in the 2023–24 season.

MSG announced its broadcast schedule for the Islanders on Friday, with the family of networks set to televise 72 regular-season and four preseason games this season. Brendan Burke will handle play-by-play with Butch Goring and Thomas Hickey as analysts, while Shannon Hogan and Cal Clutterbuck will be on the pre- and postgame coverage, providing context for the team’s transition and development path.