At this point, it doesn't appear that Ilya Sorokin will be fully ready to go when the season begins.
At this point, it doesn't appear that Ilya Sorokin will be fully ready to go when the season begins.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- New York Islanders star netminder Ilya Sorokin was expected to miss the first "day or two" of training camp.
But, after not joining the team skate on Wednesday, his absence has reached a full week.
"No news on him. He's been skating," Islanders head coach Parick Roy said. "That's all I have right now."
With the NHL season just over two weeks away, the fan base's concern is growing by the minute.
But Roy is staying positive.
"I had to remove a lymph node one year," Roy said. "It wasn't my best start, but I felt like I was fine, so I feel like he's going to be fine as well."
Like all the players will tell you, you can't mimic game situations during summer workouts. Getting into preseason games is the big test, even in training camp with scrimmages.
Sorokin, who is entering the first of an eight-year deal worth $8.25 million annually, is coming off a career-worst season.
That made this summer rather crucial for the 29-year-old to get right and put together a season like we saw during the 2022-23 campagn, which earned him Vezina finalist honors.
But it would be unrealistic to assume that Sorokin will be ready to go at this point, after missing a full week, for the Islanders' season-opener at home against the Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 10.
It's hard to figure out a Sorokin timetable because we don't know when the surgery occurred.
If the surgery happened early in the summer, then that likely means Sorokin got little to no work in.
But if the surgery happened later in the summer, let's say early August, that would have given him a few months to get to work.
Not facing shots for a month is a much better situation than not facing shots for a handful of them.
So, what are the Islanders likely to do?
Reading between the lines of Roy's statement, the plan seems to be to ease Sorokin back in.
Veteran goaltender Semyon Varlamov gives them that luxury.
Cap-wise, the Islanders don't have the financial ability to recall a goalie, likely Marcus Hogberg, if Sorokin can't suit up as at least the backup on opening night.
Hogberg carries an NHL cap hit of $775,000, and the Islanders have $50,000 in available space.
If Sorokin can't dress, he'll likely end up on long-term injured reserve, freeing up $8.25 million.
That additional cap space — they need to be cap-compliant when Sorokin is ready to return — would allow them to recall Hogberg and carry a 23-man roster.
With a healthy Sorokin, the Islanders can only field a 22-man roster.
If Sorokin ends up on LTIR, he must miss 10 games AND 24 days.
Roy has been open and honest in his media availabilities, so if he isn't worried about Sorokin, fans should be able to breathe a bit.
But, until we see him on the ice taking shots, the timetable for his return remains longer than what general manager Lou Lamoriello initially shared.
The good news is that no matter how much time Sorokin misses, it isn't expected to be long-term, and they have a former No. 1 netminder ready to carry the load until Sorokin is ready to roll.