New York Islanders Center Mathew Barzal Is On His Way To Superstardom, But He’s Not There Quite Yet

New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal isn’t his team’s leading goal or point scorer this postseason, but it’s hard to overstate just how important he’s been to his club’s playoff success in 2020.

Barzal has chipped in nine points in 11 playoff games, which aided the Islanders in advancing past the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals. But arguably more important than his point production has been Barzal’s innate hockey sense, shown by being in the perfect position to receive Jordan Eberle’s pass and score an overtime game-winner in Game 3 of the Capitals series.

“Just like it does for any other team that has a dynamic young man upfront, [Barzal’s offense] gives you more balance. It makes you more dangerous. It makes you a deeper hockey club,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz told The Score. “If he’s having success or if he’s not having success, that dictates your level of anxiety on the bench for your team.”

Three full seasons into his NHL career, Barzal has emerged as a rising star and future centerpiece of a surprising Islanders club poised to make a deep run this postseason. Though his production has tailed off since his Calder Trophy-winning rookie season, likely because the Trotz system emphasizes a team game, Barzal has steadily grown into one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league.

During 2019-20, he showcased his growth as a passer and his ability to track down the puck. Barzal posted the fifth-most even strength primary assists (24), according to Natural Stat Trick, and second-most takeaways. He also ranked 15th in high-danger shot attempts and tied for 21st in penalties drawn (17), according to The Score.

“When [Barzal and his linemates] move up the ice, special things happen,” Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield told The Score. “He’s one of my favorite players to watch out there.”

And yet, Barzal has a long way to go.

“Barzal is becoming the centerpiece on the team, but in order to be the ‘best’ player on the team, he still has to improve certain aspects of the game,” said long-time hockey broadcaster and historian Stan Fischler.

It starts with discipline, a facet Barzal’s game isn’t predicated on. Fischler says Barzal often can fall victim to holding the puck too long or failing to shoot while in a shooting position. During the regular season, Barzal led the NHL with 103 giveaways. The next closest player was Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, with 91. Barzal has cut that number down in the postseason but gave the puck away four times in the Islanders’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers Wednesday.

There’s also the issue of Barzal’s defense. While the Islanders have transformed into a stingy defensive club under Trotz – it’s easy to forget just how porous their defensive unit was a few years back – Barzal is still prone to the growing pains of inexperience. In January, Trotz benched Barzal for the third period after a series of defensive lapses against the Rangers, a decision Barzal understood and respected.

“I was in the wrong for the play I made,” Barzal said, according to Sportsnet. “Barry’s got my best interests and the team’s best interests. He wants to win as bad as anyone and so do I. It’s over with now. We got the win and that’s really all that matters.”

Barzal isn’t a liability by any means. But the combination of his giveaways and momentary losses of focus is a significant hindrance in realizing his full potential.

Based on his short track record, though, Fischler is long on Barzal’s improvement. Fischler recalls how Barzal responded from the disappointment of being sent back to Junior after failing to make the Islanders in in 2016-17. When he returned to camp a year later, Fischler says, “you could hear it in his voice” that he was determined to make the team. Ironically, Barzal was overshadowed by Josh Ho-Sang at the time, who looked to be the better prospect, and rewarded the Islanders faith in him by winning the Calder Trophy in 2017-18.

What’s become a hallmark of Barzal’s brief career is his commitment to minimize his faults and get better. Before the 2017-18 campaign began, Barzal enlisted decorated Canadian figure skater Victor Kraatz to improve his already impressive speed and skating. Discussing his growth, Barzal told Sportsnet the lessons “took my game to the next level.”

Now, advancing any further rests in the hands of Trotz. The pair has gelled so far since Trotz left Washington to coach the Islanders, but the relationship is still evolving. Though, Trotz’s team-first, discipline-heavy system is a strong match to round out Barzal’s defense.

“Barry is a smart guy,” Barzal said, according to Sportsnet. “He’s been around a long time. He’s seen every kind of player, so I just try to listen to him and just try to get better as a player every day with him. We’re fortunate to have him.”

In his short time in the NHL, Barzal has established himself as a building block of the Islanders’ future. He’s not a superstar yet. His game still needs a few tweaks. But by the time UBS Arena opens in 2021-22, he could be there.

“Remember,” Fischler said. “He’s still only a kid by NHL standards.”