The 2026-27 season is on the horizon for the New York Islanders, so it's time to preview the season and highlight expectations for the team and each specific player.
To kick things off, the first player to be previewed will be superstar goaltender Ilya Sorokin.
Sorokin, 31, went 29-24-2 in the 2025-26 season, and finished runner-up to Vaslievskiy for the 2026 Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's best goaltender annually.
Sorokin's 2025-26 season sets him up for another spectacular season, and that's before factoring in the hiring of Peter DeBoer as head coach, an elite, proven coach who will cut down on the high amount of chances against.
Given that, it's entirely reasonable to think of another 55-60 starts for Sorokin in net with the season expanded to 84 games, along with another Vezina Trophy nomination.
