Heart Surgery for Reilly; Updates on Barzal, Duclair, Pelech & Romanov

The New York Islanders have announced major injury updates on all five players currently sidelined due to various injuries.

Mike Reilly to Undergo Heart Surgery

The most significant update came for Mike Reilly, who will undergo heart surgery due to a preexisting condition uncovered as a result of the concussion he suffered on November 1. The heart condition is not, however, related to the injury he suffered in Buffalo.

“It was picked up through the different echocardiograms that you do for different reasons that you go through with any post-concussion situation,” Lamoriello said.

“It’s probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired. [His quality of life will be] 100%, and he will be able to play once this procedure is done,” Lamoriello added. “It takes quite a bit of time. It could be several months before he’s back because of the type of procedure.”

Obviously, the first and foremost concern is Reilly’s health and well-being. While the 31-year-old is expected to be able to continue his hockey career after the procedure, there’s no timeline for that at this time.

Duclair, Barzal, and Pelech Still not Skating:

Anthony Duclair is not skating yet, but Lamoriello said the team hopes that will change soon.

Duclair suffered the injury against the Montreal Canadiens. Still, because he isn’t even skating yet, it’s exceedingly likely Duclair won’t return before the calendar flips to December, at which point exceeding the initial 4-6 week timeline.

Mathew Barzal has yet to resume skating, but that’s because doctors have yet to clear him from the upper-body injury he suffered against the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 30.

Ditto for Adam Pelech, who caught a puck to the jaw and has not resumed skating due to a lack of clearance from the Islanders’ medical team. Pelech suffered his injury on November 1 against the Sabres.

Alexander Romanov Set to Return Tomorrow in Calgary?

The final injury update comes courtesy of the announcement stating Alexander Romanov is a game-time decision for tomorrow night’s game against the Calgary Flames.

At practice today in Calgary, Andrew Gross reported that Romanov returned to the regular rotation and partnered with Noah Dobson. At the same time, Grant Hutton slipped out of the lineup, leaving this potential defensive setup for tomorrow’s game:

Alexander Romanov – Noah Dobson

Isaiah George – Ryan Pulock

Dennis Cholowski – Scott Mayfield

(Extras: Travis Mitchell, Grant Hutton).