Mathew Barzal says his “heart” on the ice is at center.
Under new Islanders coach Pete DeBoer, his heart is getting what it wants.
During Tuesday’s second practice of DeBoer’s tenure, Barzal skated in the middle with Brayden Schenn shifted to left wing.
With four games left in the regular season and the Islanders (42-31-5) jostling for a playoff spot, they need DeBoer to shake things up after firing Patrick Roy. One of his first tweaks will be moving Barzal back to his favored position.
“My initial reaction watching Mat from the other bench is, everybody’s looking for that type of speed in the middle of the ice,” the former Panthers, Devils, Sharks, Golden Knights and Stars coach told reporters after practice.
“So, I think the fact that he’s played both, that he can play both, is a great thing. And coming back from the Olympics, out of the 14 or 15 forwards [Team Canada] took, most of them were centermen. So you’ve got to be able to move around and play different roles. But that speed through the middle of the ice is really dangerous. And the good teams all have that — [Jack] Eichel in Vegas and [Connor] McDavid and [Nathan] MacKinnon.”
Barzal has toggled between wing and center during his decade with the Islanders but hasn’t lined up in the middle since early February — a 23-game span in which he registered 24 points and five goals.
In the prior 54 games this season, Barzal lined up at center 50 times, totaling 43 points. His four starts at right wing before February resulted in three points.
Mathew Barzal is being moved back to center for the Islanders’ stretch run. NHLI via Getty Images DeBoer stopped short of confirming where Barzal will line up, but the forward welcomes a move back to the middle.
“I think my heart, as a player, is probably down the middle of the ice, just because it allows me to do a lot of things,” he said. “But I really like my time on the wing, and I think it’s actually helped me as a player.”
Moments earlier, he said: “I like both, to be honest with you. I like being down the middle, maybe a little more speed underneath the puck.
“And I also like being on the wing, with being able to maybe be ahead of the play a little bit sometimes, and create some offense off the breakout and on entries and stuff, coming out of the wall and kind of getting creative.”
Mathew Barzal battles for Trevor Zegras for the puck during the Islanders’ loss to the Flyers on April 3, 2026 at UBS Arena. Alexander Wohl-Imagn Images DeBoer, who reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Sharks and Devils, stopped practice a handful of times Tuesday to give players instructions from a whiteboard.
“I’m drinking through a fire hose right now, trying to get up to speed,” the coach said of his whirlwind start in New York.
DeBoer, 57, also employed color-coded uniforms for the team’s lines, though he said he’s being mindful of not “paralyzing” his players with too much information.
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“I’ve got to get to know the group. … I don’t know them,” DeBoer said. “I’ve been coaching in the West for 10 years. So I don’t know this group as well as I would like to know them.”
Barzal was less stressed about his and his linemates’ potential positional tweaks.
“It’s easier to go from center to wing than wing to center,” he said when asked about himself, Schenn and Cal Ritchie all being natural centers.
“Schenner and Rich are both really smart players. I think it’s an easy adaptation for everybody.”
DeBoer hopes that’s the case when the Isles host the Maple Leafs in a pivotal Thursday night matchup.
