Islanders offseason roster analysis, Part 3: Goaltenders
Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin looks on against the Philadelphia Flyers at UBS Arena on April 3, 2026. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Third in a four-part series looking at the Islanders' roster heading into the offseason.
In many ways, there’s not much to analyze about the Islanders’ goaltending situation. Ilya Sorokin, who turns 31 in the offseason and has six seasons remaining on his eight-year, $66 million deal, is in his prime and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
But what must be scrutinized is who will pair with the Islanders' No. 1 goalie in a tandem for next season in an effective way to keep Sorokin’s workload to a manageable level, not the 14 straight appearances and 18 in a 19-game span in a desperate but failed push to make the playoffs.
It could be David Rittich, an unrestricted free agent coming off a one-year, $1 million deal whose late-season struggles caused coach Patrick Roy and his successor, Pete DeBoer, to rely too heavily on Sorokin down the stretch.
It could be Semyon Varlamov, who will be 38 next season as he enters the fourth season of a four-year, $11 million deal. He is attempting a comeback from partial knee replacements in both knees that have kept him from playing in the NHL since Nov. 29, 2024. He saw his first game action since then on April 15 and April 18, stopping 46 of 49 shots and winning both of his starts during a conditioning stint with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.
But Varlamov faces steep odds in his comeback bid. So, of course, the third option is that general manager Mathieu Darche will look for a backup goalie via the free-agent market — which includes Petr Mrazek, Frederik Andersen, Stuart Skinner and Cam Talbot — or a trade.
If he does not re-sign Rittich or if Varlamov cannot play, Darche will need to import a goalie because there are no candidates ready at AHL Bridgeport.
Darche’s decision would have been considerably easier had Rittich, who turns 34 in the offseason, continued on his early-season path. He was 11-5-2 with a 2.48 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage and two shutouts after a 4-3 overtime win over the Maple Leafs at UBS Arena on Jan. 3, the last of his seven straight starts with Sorokin sidelined with a lower-body injury.
But Rittich finished 14-10-3 with a 2.76 GAA and .894 save percentage.
“I think I started well, then some sort of thing happened and it wasn’t how it should be,” Rittich said during breakup day. “Just learn from it and move on and be better for next year. Sort out some health things and be better."
Rittich repeatedly said throughout the season that he wants to return for a second season with the Islanders.
“Everyone knows I want to be back,” Rittich said. “I don’t want [a 2-1 loss to the Hurricanes on April 14 in the season finale] to be my last time in blue and orange.”
According to MoneyPuck.com, Rittich finished 50th in the NHL with an expected goals against of 80.23 and 29th with a goals saved above expected of 4.2, with the latter being a wholly reasonable statistic.
However, it pales when compared with Sorokin, who was fifth in the NHL with an expected goals against of 169.3 and third with a goals saved above expected of 25.3. It’s why Sorokin, who finished 29-24-2 with a 2.68 GAA and .906 save percentage, is considered a viable candidate for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie. On Wednesday, he was named a finalist alongside Boston's Jeremy Swayman and Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy.
“He’s unbelievable,” Rittich said. “If he’s not going to win it, I don’t know why he shouldn’t win it. We know what we were giving up, what the chances were. Sorokie had to deal with the most dangerous shots in the whole league.”
Sorokin, who allowed at least four goals in four of his last seven starts, said he gives himself “no chance” to win the Vezina. Still, he was announced as one of the three finalists.
He said he felt good physically despite making 14 straight appearances.
“Yeah, healthy,” Sorokin said during breakup day. “It was a good experience the last days. Just games in my head. It’s a little different than usual because you don’t have time to practice. Just come to the rink to play hockey. In one thing it’s good, but sometimes we need more time for rest and practice. It’s not an excuse.”
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.
