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Islanders Weigh Goaltending Options Ahead Of Roster Cuts

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Islanders Weigh Goaltending Options Ahead Of Roster Cuts

Originally posted on Pro Hockey Rumors | By Bradley Keith | Last updated Sep 20, 2026 7:34 PM ET

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New York Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters, including Ethan Sears of New York Post Sports, that keeping three goaltenders on the roster has been discussed. Although a possibility which is not preferred, according to the coach, it all depends on Semyon Varlamov’s health.

With the 38-year-old Russian trying to work his way back from two partial knee replacements, the Islanders added Vitek Vaněček on a one-year $1MM deal as part of their mundane offseason. Varlamov hasn’t been able to suit up for the Islanders since November 2024, although he made two appearances for the Bridgeport Islanders in the spring on a conditioning stint and came away holding a .939 save percentage, winning both, his first AHL action since 2010-11 as a Capitals prospect.

Entering the final season of his contract at $2.75MM, it’s most likely this will be the last for Varlamov on Long Island after eight years. Whatever the veteran can offer in the NHL at this point, a healthy campaign where he could hold down a backup job behind fellow countryman Ilya Sorokin would be a deserving ending after a memorable tenure highlighted by leading the team to deep playoff runs from 2019-21.

On the other hand comes Vaněček, 30, who showed promise in Washington and New Jersey four years ago before regressing into a true backup. Last season in Utah it wasn’t all pretty on the way to a 5-13-3 record and an .883 SV%, but with a saves above expected at -2.0, per Moneypuck, it was far from league worst range. Karel Vejmelka started 63 games for the Mammoth, making it hard for Vaněček to ever find a rhythm in his 19 starts.

The former second-round pick is waiver eligible depending on how things go ahead of the regular season getting underway. Yet with 210 games under his belt and numbers perfectly adequate for a typical NHL backup, he’d be a bit overqualified for the AHL, a league he’s played just two games in since 2020. If it ever becomes a possibility for New York to roll with a Sorokin/Varlamov tandem while Vaněček ends up in Hamilton, the team’s new affiliate, he’d immediately become the undisputed starter as the Islanders only offer 25-year-old fringe prospect Henrik Tikkanen in their system as any real competition between the pipes.

If the Islanders are forced to hold all three netminders as the season gets underway, implications won’t be too large after a summer where they hardly added to the roster. Star Mathew Barzal is currently week-to-week, but even if he returns in time for opening night, they’d be set at 23 players. New York’s current seven defensemen aren’t expected to change, with 22-year-old Isaiah George on track to round out the group. Up front, while prospects like Cole Eiserman and Victor Eklund will make their best effort to make the team, it’s most likely they’ll start out on the new Hamilton Hammers.

It’s perhaps Pierre Engvall who would be most affected by a three goaltender situation. Still signed for four more years at $3MM, he’s working his way back from hip and ankle surgeries hoping to find new life under DeBoer. Already looking like the 14th forward on the roster, if another roster spot is taken up by Vaněček it would all but guarantee landing back on waivers on the way to another AHL deployment, as was the case two years ago. Engvall received a healthy 16:15 of ice time today to get things started in the pre-season, not recording any stats besides a shot on goal.

Also of note after today’s action, Vaněček got the start for New York against his former club in New Jersey. Allowing two goals on 22 shots against a Devils roster mostly consisting of their AHL depth, he played the entire game as the Islanders closely evaluated. More pre-season game action for the Czech won’t be easy to grab, as Sorokin will need tune-up work not to mention Varlamov’s triumphant NHL return.

Image Credit: Brett Holmes-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

This article first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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