Mathew Barzal won’t be going to World Championships after all.
Hockey Canada announced Tuesday that Barzal will miss the competition “as a precaution due to a minor, preexisting injury.” Sidney Crosby was added to the Canadian roster in Barzal’s stead.
The Islanders released a statement saying that Barzal “is expected to have a normal offseason and be ready for training camp.”
While Barzal had to deal with lingering effects of the injury that ended his 2024-25 season — believed to be a kneecap issue — all season, he never missed games because of it, and rarely if ever missed practice.
“Every second of my day, really, off days or when we weren’t playing was just about managing my body,” Barzal said on breakup day. “That’s just how I am. Injuries like I had usually take a year or two years to really start to settle in and feel normal again. I definitely had my own program of staying healthy. I could have played every game this year.”
Given that Barzal initially planned to play at Worlds, pulling out just days before the competition, it’s not clear whether it’s due to a re-aggravation of the same injury or something that wasn’t in the public domain.
The Islanders are set to send three players to World Championships, which start Friday in Switzerland: Emil Heineman and Simon Holmstrom with Team Sweden, and prospect Danny Nelson with Team USA.