EAST MEADOW, NY -- With Marcus Hogberg's second-half performance and Ilya Sorokin's struggles at times, there was some concern about how the New York Islanders would address their backup goaltender position for the 2025-26 season.
The expectation was that grizzled veteran Semyon Varlamov's career was in major jeapordy after suffering a long-term knee injury.
However, the 36-year-old, whom we did not see after he backed up Ilya Sorokin in Montreal on Dec. 2, said he will be ready to go for training camp.
"I expect to be ready for the next season," Varlamov said. "Everything is going well with the rehab, and then the physiotherapy, like everything we do now, and then the main focus for me to finish the rehab, hopefully soon, and have a good summer training, and then get ready for September, for the training camp. That’s the goal."
Varlamov has had lower-body injuries in the past, missing time in each of the last two seasons. It just got to a point where it was time to make a long-term decision rather than just managing the pain.
“It’s something that had been bothering me for a long time, and then at some point, I just had to make a decision on how to move forward, how to play,” Varlamov said. “Because when you play in this league, you gotta make sure you are ready 100% and that you know you can go on the ice and play through pain. So we made a decision. I had to get the procedure on my knee in December, and then, since then, I've been doing the rehab and everything I can to get back on the ice.
“I hope I don't have to deal with this in the future anymore,” Varlamov said. “That’s why I'm taking the time to make sure that I’m ready 100% for the next season. I want to show up for the training camp feeling good without any issues that’s been like bothering me from the past. That's the main goal.”
Varlamov's absence had a significant impact on his counterpart, Ilya Sorokin, who underwent offseason back surgery last summer, which affected his availability to start the 2024-25 season.
Despite Sorokin being ready to go for Game 3 of the regular season, it seemed that the plan was to have Varlamov play more than he had in the year prior, to take some of the workload away from the club's No. 1 goaltender.
But, when Varlamov went down and then Hogberg, the Islanders had no choice but to turn to Sorokin. And what has become clear over Sorokin's NHL career is that when he plays more than 50 games, his play does take a hit at times.
"Ilya played a lot of games, and I think he did a good job taking care of himself, like after he got the procedure in his back, he had enough time, I thought, after surgery to get ready for the season," Varlamov said. "He looked great, he looked sharp, and he played well this year. I think he had a pretty good year."
When Varlamov is healthy, he is one of the league's best backups, and, outside of injuries, could still serve as a No. 1 goaltender on a handful of NHL teams.
The best ability is availability, and it's imperative to the team's success that they have a bona fide backup to take some of the pressure off Sorokin.
Varlamov is under contract for two more seasons at $2.75 million annually. He recorded a 3-4-3 record in 10 games, with a 2.65 GAA and a .916 SV%.
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