Islanders' former first-round pick to resume skating

After indicating in mid-April that he’s hoping to be ready for training camp, it appears Semyon Varlamov’s rehab from a knee procedure last December is tracking in the right direction. On the podcast The Sheet, hosted by Daily Faceoff journalist Jeff Marek, New York Islanders General Manager Mathieu Darche mentioned that Varlamov’s recovery is progressing well, and he is expected to resume skating soon.

Despite being the 17th season of his professional career, there’s no questioning that the 2024-25 season was Varlamov’s worst. Not due to his performance, but his knee injury limited him to only 10 games on the season. After the Islanders signed Varlamov to a four-year, $11MM contract in 2023, the idea was that they would have a consistent above-average backup netminder behind Ilya Sorokin for the foreseeable future.

In his defense, that’s largely what he’s been doing with the Islanders. Since ceding the starting job to Sorokin during the 2021-22 season, Varlamov managed a 35-34-8 record in 78 starts with a .914 SV%, 2.74 GAA, and 21.8 Goals Saved Above Average from the 2021-22 season to the 2023-24 campaign. Given that New York has struggled to score throughout this time, their strong play in the crease has been a primary reason the Islanders have qualified for the postseason in two out of the past four years.

Throughout his limited action last season, Varlamov finished with a 3-4-3 record in 10 games with a .889 SV% and 2.89 GAA. It was the lowest save percentage he’s achieved since the 2016-17 season with the Colorado Avalanche, though it was far too small a sample size to make any strong projections about his value moving forward.

Still, their offseason moves indicate that New York’s new front office isn’t wholly confident in Varlamov’s abilities, at least for the upcoming season. The Islanders signed David Rittich, the former backup goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings, to a one-year, $1MM contract on the opening day of free agency this summer.

Although he had a forgettable season last year with the Kings, his two-year stint in California was largely positive, finishing with a 29-20-5 record in 58 games with a .902 SV% and 2.55 GAA. Despite the down season in 2024-25, Rittich has only had one brief stint in the AHL since the 2017-18 season, so it stands to reason he wouldn’t put himself in a position for a demotion entering his age-33 season.

In summary, the Islanders are in a strong position regarding their goaltending, primarily due to having one of the best netminders in the game. There are other teams with much bigger issues in the crease than deciding between Varlamov and Rittich as their backup.