New York Islanders: Mathew Barzal getting much deserved praise before All-Star game

The first place New York Islanders head into the All-Star break led in points by Mathew Barzal, their only representative in the game. Finally, he is getting some national love.

New York Islanders and their reigning Calder-winning center, Mathew Barzal, are both rolling into the All-Star break.

The team sits in first place and Barzal is leading the way with almost 10 more points than anyone else on the Islanders.

The best part is, the Isles were never supposed to be here. The Islanders lost he who shall not be named this offseason. Which was suppose to destroy them.

However, that is no longer even a remote factor. I am so done with that narrative. It is like beating a dead horse. But, as I human I need to be petty about it.

There were so many concerns when they lost he who shall not be named. This was even after Mathew Barzal won the Calder trophy and had one of the best rookie seasons in Isles history.

However, all he is doing right now is proving why the Islanders are in first. He is one the leaders of this team now, with the exception of Anders Lee, it is basically his team.

He is a very good hockey player now and is just a year or two away from being an elite hockey player. If he is not already to some.

He has the skating ability. He showed he had the ice vision and passing ability last season when he led the team in assists. This year, he is showing he can put the rubber in the back of the net with the third most goals on the team.

However, Islander fans are not the only one seeing it anymore. Barzal is getting some national praise, right now.

Reading those tweets is like music to my ears, to be honest. There are probably countless other tweets of people praising him, but this will do for now.

Also, when he is playing in the actual All-Star game and doing the festivities during the All-Star weekend, I am sure more people will be praising him openly too.

Just this little bit of exposure could get him over the hump.

It is all making perfect sense for the Islanders now. They desperately needed to transition into finding their next superstar, they have.

Barzal is just the icing on the cake too. They are playing hockey great as team through Barry Trotz’s fool-proof system.

They are getting production, basically in all three zones somehow.

Their goalies are great.

The defense is back to where it was a few years ago when they made the playoffs, maybe even better.

The offense is anchored by 40 goal scorer and Anders Lee, and Barzal.

Barzal has been flashing his potential every game he has played in the NHL so far.

Winning the Calder truly put him on the map. Then he got the All-Star nod. Then he got recognition and praise from the NHL and the above Twitter accounts.

So, what is next for him?

It better be showcasing his ability in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But, in all seriousness, it will be great to see a new Islanders player in the All-Star game. It is likely he will be a fixture in that game for years to come.

Just use these tweets as part of enjoying the festivities this weekend. Hopefully, they just made everyone feel even better about this team.