What History Says About Kyle Palmieri’s Return From ACL Injury
Kyle Palmieri is on track to return from a torn ACL, but what can the Islanders expect from the veteran forward in 2026-27?
New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri may go down in NHL history as the player who made the coolest play seconds after tearing his left ACL, stripping the puck on his way to the bench before a backhand chip helped lead to an Islanders goal against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 29.
His recovery timeline is also worthy of praise.
On March 24, less than four months after suffering the injury, Palmieri was back on the ice skating.
Earlier this summer, I was told Palmieri would be 100 percent ready for training camp as the 35-year-old gears up for the final season of his two-year deal worth $4.75 million annually.
Given the Islanders’ desire to get younger, it could very well be his final season on Long Island.
Palmieri is excited to get back.
“Knowing that I’m close to getting back to what I love and getting into the rhythm of things is very exciting. I’m excited to get back out there and compete with my teammates.” (H/t New York Islanders)
The question is, what can Pete DeBoer expect to get out of his grizzled forward following an ACL injury?
I’ll preface this by saying that everyone’s recovery is different, so there’s no formula we can use to truly know what Palmieri will look like when he gets back.
All we can use is what we’ve seen.