When the New York Islanders selected goaltender Rick DiPietro with the first overall pick in the 2000 NHL Draft, they believed they had found their starting goaltender for the next decade and beyond.
They were so confident in the young man from Massachusetts that they traded Roberto Luongo, who became a future Hall of Famer, to the Florida Panthers. In 2006, the Islanders made their thoughts completely known when they put pen to paper on a 15-year extension worth $67.5 million.
However, things didn't pan out. DiPietro struggled to stay healthy and had his contract bought out in 2013. They are still paying him $1.5 million annually through the 2028–29 season.
Losing a franchise netminder would be challenging for any hockey club, but given the Islanders' relevancy struggles at the time, it was kind of a take-what’s-willing-to-come type of situation for a long time.
Once DiPietro was no longer able to fulfill starting duties, beginning in 2008–09, the Islanders saw the likes of Dwayne Roloson, Martin Biron, Al Montoya, and Mikko Koskinen man the crease through the 2010–11 season.
Roloson and Biron were past their primes at this point.
Then, despite not truly wanting to be with the Islanders, Evgeni Nabokov reported to Long Island, playing three seasons on Long Island. Like Roloson and Biron, Nabokov wasn't getting any younger.
However, things changed ahead of the 2014–15 season when the Islanders signed 29-year-old goaltender Jaroslav Halak to a four-year deal worth $18 million.
He immediately set the organization's single-season record in wins with 38, surpassing Billy Smith's 32-win record, which he had set during the 1981–82 season. He owned a 1.16 GAA with a .948 SV% during an 11-game win streak.
Halak went 88-65-19, with a 2.69 GAA and a .913 SV% in 177 regular-season appearances for the Islanders.
He only appeared in the playoffs for the Islanders in 2015, posting a 2.30 GAA with a .926 SV% in a seven-game battle with the Washington Capitals. The Islanders ultimately lost, but Jaro was brilliant.
A year after Halak arrived on the Island, Thomas Greiss showed up. While Greiss may get credit for bringing stability to the crease, it was really Halak who first changed the goaltending narrative on Long Island, but both played integral roles in that.
The two were a duo for three seasons before Robin Lehner replaced Halak ahead of the 2018–19 season.
After a memorable and emotional season with Lehner, the Islanders then signed Semyon Varlamov to a four-year deal ahead of the 2019–20 season. Then Ilya Sorokin came over, with Greiss passing the baton to the then-young Russian goaltender prospect.
Sorokin and Varlamov have been the 1-2 punch on Long Island since the 2020–21 season.
Since Halak joined the Islanders, there has been a newfound pride among the goaltenders on the roster, and his willingness to re-sign in 2014 led the Islanders down a proud path of goaltending, a path that is well-lit as we gear up for the 2025-26 season.
PHOTO: Brad Penner-Imagn Images