What’s the Deal with Mathew Barzal and the New York Islanders?
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period joined SiriusXM NHL Network Radio with Steve Kouleas and Anthony Stewart and was asked about the situation involving the New York Islanders and Mathew Barzal.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Teams are Interested in Mathew Barzal, but the Islanders Want to Add to Their Top-Six
Steve Kouleas: “Before we let you go. We have 90 seconds. I’m on your site. Teams are calling the New York Islanders about Barzal. I don’t know if this happened before Larkin. I mean, naturally, when you start letting this out, who knows what could end up happening? Let’s deal with the Islanders and Barzal, and what you can tell us before we say goodbye.”
Dave Pagnotta: “Yes, I mean, you know, Isles fans are going nuts here about this one, and this is trying to reiterate this all week. This is not the Islanders trying to move Matt Barzal. This is other teams that are out there collecting information, trying to see who’s available, and clearly they’re talking, because there’s a word about Barzal getting called about. But he’s got five years left on his deal.
He’s got a solid cap hit for his production. He had a good season. The Islanders want to add. They want to add another top-six winger to the mix. They want to continue to build off of where they’ve been, and they want to get to the playoffs and contend next season. So, unless they’re moving Barzal in a major blockbuster hockey for hockey type trade, I wouldn’t anticipate it. But it’s not going to stop teams from calling, because free agency, it’s shallow.
NHL Rumors: NY Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Buffalo Sabres
We know this. You have to be creative. Teams are trying to be creative and see if this is an avenue to pursue, unless they’re overpaying. I don’t see it.”
NHLRumors.com Note: It is pretty clear that the New York Islanders, under new GM Mathieu Darche, don’t want to move Barzal. Again, this is a different situation than Noah Dobson, who was in the middle of contract negotiations. While at the time of the initial report in February 2025, the Islanders weren’t shopping him, they would move him if the right offer came along.
However, the New York Islanders need Mathew Barzal to make the playoffs and be successful. The team is still full of veterans. So the idea of moving a player like Barzal doesn’t make sense unless something better is coming back. Right now, nothing better is coming back. But good GMs listen, but set a price so high that it is hard to match.
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