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.
Perhaps the single best story in all of hockey right now might just be the return of Semyon Varlamov to the hockey.
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Varlamov, 38, underwent a double-knee replacement and has not appeared in the NHL since November 2024. The journey he’s gone through since then to work his way back to this point where he’s considered healthy and NHL ready is astounding.
He played two rehab games with the team’s then-AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders at the very end of the season, going 2-0 while making 46 saves out of 49.
Varlamov’s return also can end the carousel of backups behind Ilya Sorokin, as both David Rittich and Marcus Hogberg struggled behind Sorokin, forcing the Russian into extra starts down the stretch of the last two seasons.
A healthy and strong Varlamov can change all of that and will give the Islanders two goalies they can trust.
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