The 2020-21 NHL season will be one of the most unique seasons ever for the New York Islanders in a long time. And that’s after an odd postseason tournament that was held over the summer in bubble cities.

The Islanders, along with the rest of the NHL, open training camp on Sunday and the first day of on-ice workouts are scheduled for Monday at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow.

There will be plenty to keep an eye on once on-ice workouts begin. Here are just a few things to watch for during training camp:

Will Mathew Barzal be there?

Not to beat a dead horse, but it’s Saturday afternoon, the day before training camp opens and Mathew Barzal is still unsigned. Now there is still time for a deal to be worked out and for Barzal to be out on the ice for the start of camp.

The New York Islanders star is on Long Island in preparation for that to be the case and Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said it’s everyone’s intention for him to be signed by camp.

But as this saga drags on, his contract status will be something to watch for at training camp.

Ilya Sorokin

Islanders fans didn’t dub Ilya Sorokin the White Whale for nothing and there will be a pretty big spotlight on him when he hits the ice for the first time. With a resume that already includes an Olympic gold medal, a KHL championship and KHL playoffs MVP honors, Sorokin is the most anticipated goaltending prospect the Islanders have had since Rick DiPietro.

There won’t be any preseason games this year, so the Islanders coaching staff’s only evaluations of Sorokin will come at training camp. Lamoriello told reporters on Thursday that Sorokin will be in the mix, but after everything it has taken to get the talented Russian netminder to the US,  you can expect him to be more than just “in the mix.”

Sorokin won’t be the Islanders starting goaltender opening night, but camp will be a good indication of just how far along his NHL game is.

How the layoff has impacted everyone

The New York Islanders haven’t played a game since September and there won’t be any preseason games before the start of the regular season. Just how that impacts the Islanders, and the rest of the league for that matter, is yet to be known.

There wasn’t as big off a drop-off in play when the league resumed for the playoffs in August and that was a little bit longer of a pause. Restrictions have also eased a bit in various regions, making it easier to train for the start of the new year.

Play might be a little sloppy at the start of camp, but considering how prepared Trotz had his team over the summer it’s fair to say that the sloppiness won’t last for long.

A look at some of the dark horses for roster spots

When it comes to the Islanders’ open roster spots, people have pegged the likes of Oliver Wahlstrom, Kieffer Bellows, Leo Komarov or Michael Dal Colle as the favorites to win them. However, Austin Czarnik and Dmytro Timashov are two guys that could surprise everyone and earn a roster spot.

Czarnik was one of the Islanders’ first signings of the offseason and Timashov arrived here by way of a trade with Detroit. Both players give the Islanders some added depth off the bat.

Czarnik has a bit more NHL pedigree with 121 combined games under his belt with the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames over the course of his career. Timashov carries a bit more intrigue though at just 24 years old and having played for a Lou Lamoriello run organization in the past.

While neither may end up earning a coveted spot on the Islanders’ third line, they still could very well end up as taxi squad members for this season.

Adam Pelech’s Health

Just like for a lot of people 2020, just wasn’t Adam Pelech’s year. The star defenseman suffered a season-ending injury to his Achilles tendon in what Lou Lamoriello called a “freak accident” last January.

He was able to return for the summer playoffs, but suffered another injury during the conference finals in Game 5 and required surgery during the offseason. Lamoriello said that the defenseman was 100% healthy during a conference call with the media on Thursday.

Will there be any lingering effects? We’ll find out at camp.