Ilya Sorokin set to be Islanders' backbone in goal
New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) during a time out against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period at UBS Arena on April 29, 2022. Credit: Brad Penner
One by one, the Islanders’ players expressed extreme disappointment in the just-concluded season and how that will fuel the motivation for next season after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Ilya Sorokin conveyed the same frustration on Saturday during the Islanders’ exit interviews at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow. But there’s also a separate optimism when it comes to the 26-year-old Russian after his second NHL season and first 82-game campaign: He can be the backbone of a playoff-caliber team.
That will be crucial for the Islanders next season when they renew their quest for the Stanley Cup after back-to-back berths in the NHL semifinals the previous two seasons, mostly with Semyon Varlamov in net.
“He had a great year and the stats shows it,” Varlamov, 34, said. “He’s definitely improving his game each year he’s playing in this league…I don’t think I have to give him any tips anymore. He’s a top-five goalie in the league.”
Sorokin went 26-18-8 with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage while matching a team record with seven shutouts for the Islanders (37-35-10), who ended with a 6-4 loss to the Lightning at UBS Arena on Friday night. That placed him second in the NHL in shutouts and save percentage and fourth in GAA.
“The team result, it’s not good,” said Sorokin, conducting his interview in English without a translator as his grasp of the language continues to improve. “All your statistics don’t matter if your team is not in the playoffs.
“What was better? I played in more games. The last season was short [56 games]. When you play, you feel comfortable.”
One significant difference this season was the Islanders played every team in the NHL across their 82 games. The previous regular season was limited to divisional play in deference to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s really interesting to see all of the country,” Sorokin said. “If it’s not about hockey, it’s a beautiful country. If you talk about hockey, it’s a big experience for me. The extra games, for the first time in my life in the regular season, and it was hard.”
Sorokin has two more seasons to go on a three-year, $12 million deal.
Varlamov has one season remaining on his four-year, $20 million deal. There was some speculation he could be moved leading up to the NHL trade deadline on March 21 – he has a 16-team, no-trade clause in his contract – but Varlamov said he wants to finish out his deal as an Islander.
“I’m not going to lie, I was very happy to stay with this organization,” said Varlamov, who went 10-17-2 with a 2.91 GAA and .911 save percentage after missing training camp and the start of the regular season while recovering from a knee injury, then also missing time during the season while in COVID-19 quarantine.
“I’ve got one more year with the Islanders and I want to be here next year. I wanted to finish this season, no matter what, with this team. I believe in this team. I believe in the organization. I think this team is going in the right direction.”
Sorokin, of course, stands as one of the organization’s top assets as he emerged as the No. 1 goalie this season.
“It’s not up to me how many games I’m going to play,” said Varlamov, adding he will be able to go through a normal, offseason workout routine. “If we’re going to be splitting the games, or Ilya is going to be playing more or I’m going to play more, we’ll be ready for any scenario.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
