As the NHL season approaches its conclusion, the league has announced that nearly one-third of its players are eligible to return to the ice for the start of the 2017-18 regular season.
While a handful of players will miss the start due to injuries, most of the roster has returned to full strength.
That includes three of the four players who were injured in the opening round of the playoffs, including captain Zach Parise.
“We’re going to make sure every player is 100 percent ready,” said NHL Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Hextall.
“I’m confident that we’re going forward in the best interest of the game.
It’s not about one injury.
It doesn’t matter.
Every single one of our players will be 100 percent.”
While the numbers might not look good, it’s the fact that all four of the players that were injured were back in the lineup on opening night that should be a bright spot.
Parise was expected to return for Game 1 of the series against the Dallas Stars on Saturday, but was sidelined with a lower-body injury.
He was able to play in the second game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.
He scored his first NHL goal, and has three assists and a plus-2 rating in seven games with the Islanders this season.
Paris will likely miss at least two weeks of the regular season as he’s currently recovering from a lower body injury.
The Islanders have had to play seven games without him, and their captain, John Tavares, is expected to be out for at least three weeks.
The injury will likely keep Tavares out of the lineup for at most six weeks.
Parse’s return to action was a big boost for the Islanders.
Heading into the season, he was considered the Islanders’ top prospect and the team’s most dangerous forward.
He had six goals and 15 points in 19 playoff games with New York.
However, the Islanders are hoping to get back to the postseason with Parise, who has 11 points in the postseason this season, and John Tavare.
Tavares is expected back to play against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, and Parise is expected at least a game with the team for Monday night’s Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
