The Islanders have lost Kyle Palmieri for the season. The top-six right wing needs surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and has a recovery timeline of six to eight months, the team announced on Saturday.

There likely already was a need for an additional scoring wing before Palmieri was injured in Friday night’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers at UBS Arena . But the latest loss from the lineup probably heightens the urgency for first-year general manager Mathieu Darche to improve his squad before the March 6 trade deadline no matter how well Russian rookie Max Shabanov plays as he gets his top-six opportunity.

Darche will have to monitor how the trade market develops and whether the two-week Olympic break in February will alter the timeline for

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