Kyle Palmieri was on pace for the best season of his career when he suffered an injury on Friday. The Islanders re-signed Palmieri to a two-year contract extension at the end of last season, but he will now spend most of that deal rehabbing the injury. New York announced on Saturday afternoon that Palmieri suffered an ACL tear in his left knee, which will keep him out approximately 6-8 months.
Palmieri had a bittersweet end to the season, as he tore his knee on a collision behind the net, somehow gained possession of the puck as he hobbled to the bench, and found an open teammate in the slot, who then passed to Emil Heineman for a goal. It was a tough way for Palmieri to get his 12th and final assist of the season.
The Islanders are in a three-way tie for the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference with 29 points. The loss of their first-line right winger and trigger-man on the first powerplay unit will be a loss that will be difficult to overcome for Patrick Roy's Islanders.
It'll be rare for Kyle Palmieri to miss any time, as he was in the middle of a 223-game ironman streak. While he hasn't fully lived up to expectations after moving in-state from the New Jersey Devils to the Islanders, Palmieri has been a consistent veteran presence in a lineup trying to change its culture. It won't be an easy hole to fill, both on the ice and in the locker room.
