The restricted free agent center led the Islanders with 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 68 games last season and scored 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"No, it doesn't complicate [matters that Barzal hasn't signed]," coach Barry Trotz said. "We know going into this no matter, you have to make sure that you're adaptable, either through testing protocols or injury or anything like that. It's nothing unusual for us if we're missing a person here or there. That's part of NHL hockey and the world today.
"We're just going to worry about who we can put out on the ice and worry about what we can do within the next couple of days. I think the next couple of days is about getting our real solid foundation that we had through the original bubble (in Toronto and Edmonton for the 2020 postseason) and continue with the foundational elements to start this camp. The guys have put in a lot of work and they're ready to go. They're excited to go, just as the whole League is."
The Islanders will hold their first official on-ice workout Monday and begin the season on Jan. 14 at the New York Rangers. Trotz said that if Barzal remains unsigned, the Islanders will rely on others to step up in the 23-year-old's absence. Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Casey Cizikas, Austin Czarnik and Otto Koivula are expected to be among the centers in training camp.
"Any player, it doesn't matter if it's Mathew, if it's anybody who's on our club when they're out, it does affect the group, and so you ask other players to fill in that void and get a job done," Trotz said. "To me, it's opportunity. I've had a number of players in the past injured, and [that] allowed other players to come in and really put a foothold into their own sort of game, their own role. Those are the opportunities.
"We talk about that we know there's going to be people in, people out, unpredictability, so you get an opportunity, you've got to go with it. We've been in that situation many times; we'll continue to fill in those holes. If someone's not there, we go forward. That's how we're built."