Kyle Palmieri, over four months removed from tearing his ACL , has plenty of perspective on those devastating yet encapsulatory few seconds.
"One of the worst moments," Palmieri said to a small group of beat writers including The Post in his first interview since the injury. "But also a pretty cool moment too."
The occasion for his speaking was Palmieri's nomination by the Islanders' chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association for the Masterton Trophy. The award, which is voted on by the PHWA membership, is given to the player who best exemplifies "the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey."
So, yes, Palmieri's response — both in the moment and in the months that followed — to such an injury qualifies.
Kyle Palmieri has missed most of the season with a torn ACL. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
There was the play itself, when Palmieri stole the puck away from Emil Andrae while limping off the ice, triggering a rush that led to an Islanders goal as his last act of the season.
And then there was everything that came afterwards, out of public sight, as Palmieri has started to work his way back after surgery. He recently started skating on his own. And, while it is certainly a long shot, No. 21 did not rule out returning at some point in this year's playoffs, should the Islanders make it far enough.
"Getting back on the ice was a big step a couple weeks ago," he said. "As long as I keep progressing, I'm definitely not putting it out of my mind. It's just about working hard and finding ways to make sure each day is better than the next. Wherever the chips fall, they fall."
Palmieri has dealt with injuries before, but not in some time and not anything like this.
When he got hurt, it snapped a streak of 223 consecutive games played, which was the longest of anyone on the team at that time. At the moment it happened, Palmieri had no idea the injury was serious.
There was pain, sure. But no pop. After he went back to the dressing room for an initial test, Palmieri didn't believe the doctor when given the initial diagnosis. Even after getting the MRI, he found it hard to digest.
Kyle Palmieri (21) runs a drill during practice at the Northwell Health Ice Center, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in East Meadow, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
"After the initial pain, you kinda feel OK," Palmieri said. "I was walking around, up and down stairs that night, and I couldn't really believe the diagnosis and the road that was ahead of me. But having Anders [Lee, who tore his ACL in 2021] to lean on and the staff here, guys that have gone through it, ex-teammates, whatever it may be, the ones I talked to leading up to surgery and then those first couple weeks after, it's tough.
"But it happens. It's sports. I just wanted to take it day by day and put myself in the best position to come back and be better for it."
Palmieri, in typical fashion, made sure to note that plenty of other Islanders could have been nominated for the honor, going out of his way to mention Semyon Varlamov, who has missed the entire season while recovering from two knee replacements.
"Seeing the guys that have won [the Masterton], who have been up for it, it's an honor to be mentioned in that same category," he said. "I think looking across the room at a certain goaltender being on the day-to-day, watching Varly make his way back and the dedication that it takes to rehab as long as he has. Even though I miss him and now I'm skating on my own, it's so cool to see him back and skating with the team, taking live shots, cause of how much I've seen him and the work he's put in.
"It's been a long road. The comeback's not quite complete yet for me. Hopefully in the next couple weeks — we'll see how the season unfolds.
"I think for me, it's about getting things in a better spot and trying to get better every day. This is a really, really amazing honor for me to be up for it."
