There are only a handful of elite goaltenders in the NHL, and the NY Islanders have one of them. Ilya Sorokin has proven he is one of the top shot stoppers in the league despite having below-average (for his standards) numbers over the last two seasons.
After his stellar 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Sorokin has seen his SV% decrease and his GAA increase. One of the key components of Sorokin’s “down” seasons has been overuse. In 2023-24, the Islanders found themselves in a playoff chase coming down to the wire, with Patrick Roy relying heavily on Sorokin. Last season, Semyon Varlamov missed most of the season due to injury, with Sorokin as the only viable option.
Sorokin has additional help this season
With Varlamov’s health in question to start this season, one of Mathieu Darche’s first orders of business at the start of free agency was signing David Rittich to a one-year deal. The Czech netminder has been a capable backup in the NHL since the 2017-18 season, most recently between the pipes with the Los Angeles Kings.
If Varlamov is unable to start the season, Roy has another option to spell Sorokin until he’s ready to return. Then, the Islanders could either carry three goaltenders or hope Rittich clears waivers and can play in Bridgeport.
The ideal number of starts for Sorokin should be in the 50-55 range. He’s capable of playing 60 games, but needs a day off every so often. The last two seasons, he played 56 and 61 games respectively, but the issues arose when he played double-digit games in a row.
Goaltending is one of the Islanders’ strong points. But their superstar netminder can’t be overworked if they hope to get back into the playoffs.