New York Islanders fans received a dose of welcome news on Wednesday, as GM Mathieu Darche confirmed that third-line center Jean-Gabriel Pageau is expected back before Christmas. Pageau, who is currently listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, will not require surgery and is projected to miss no more than “two to three weeks at the most, if not sooner,” according to Darche.
“When we say week to week, it’s because it’s longer than day to day,” Darche explained. “But it’s not month to month, either. I would suspect two to three weeks at the most. There’s no surgery needed. There’s no anything. It’s just healing an old injury.”
Pageau’s injury came as a surprise to many, largely because he finished Saturday’s 2–1 loss to the St. Louis Blues without visibly missing a shift. He logged 19 shifts and 15:58 of ice time, recording a blocked shot and a hit. Whatever aggravated the underlying injury, Pageau pushed through it until the final horn, and his injury wasn’t announced until hours before Sunday’s game versus Seattle.
MSG just showed the possible moment yesterday where J.G. Pageau was hurt. Didn’t look good. #Isles pic.twitter.com/8Sav4Icvbg
— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) November 23, 2025
Before the injury, Pageau was quietly having one of the most efficient starts to his Islanders career: six goals, six assists, and a stellar 59.5% faceoff win percentage across 22 games while averaging 15:24 per night. His defensive reliability, penalty-killing expertise, and matchup versatility make him one of Patrick Roy’s most trusted forwards.
In his absence, rookie Cal Ritchie has stepped into the third-line center role, with Casey Cizikas slipping back into his familiar spot anchoring the fourth line. But make no mistake, the Islanders are a deeper, more balanced team when Pageau is in the lineup.
And now, with Darche’s timeline, they expect that boost back before Holiday break.