The Islanders 2015 first round pick is heading to camp humble but ready to make an impression (possibly an impression of Nicklas Backstrom, which would be great).
It’s wild to think that in a little over a year, Mathew Barzal has gone from not being on most Islanders fans’ radars to being arguably the team’s most anticipated prospect.
With no first round picks in the 2015 draft, the Islanders seemed like the last team who would get a shot at Barzal, who was expected to be a pretty high selection if not a top 10 pick.