Barzal finished the season by scoring only once in the last 15 games for the Islanders.
While that is the pessimistic outlook, Barzal also had five assists in his last three games. Barzal is likely miscast as a top-line center but is also not a third-line player, which is where former coach Barry Trotz had played him for about the last month of the season. There is some speculation that part of the reason Trotz was let go was because of his handling of Barzal and how his play has stagnated under his watch. One of the biggest priorities for the next head coach for the Islanders will be to get the most out of Barzal and several other underperforming forwards.