Islanders Semyon Varlamov may miss opener and that’s OK

Semyon Varlamov should have been, at least in my opinion, a finalist for the Veniza Trophy in 2021. The fact that he finished fifth for the top goalie honors was a snub for the New York Islanders goalie.

The 2021-22 season is hopefully going to be a continuation of that form for Varlamov. The Isles goalie and his “backup” are a big part of the Islanders success. The tandem of Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin is seen as the strongest in the league. For good reason. They were the strongest in the league last year.

But Varlamov hasn’t played or even hit the ice during training camp. Should the Islanders be concerned about Varly’s absence?

It’s OK if Semyon Varlamov misses a few games for the New York Islanders

To answer that question “what does Barry think?” And it seems that the head coach is pretty ok (outside of general concern for the individual of course) with Varly being out and maybe missing time at the start of the season.

Barry knows that even if Varlamov isn’t ready to go he can rely on the other Russian goalie on the roster. Ilya Sorokin hasn’t had the same lengthy NHL career that Varlamov has had but in his 22 game sample from 2021-22, Sorokin showed he can hang in the NHL. Barry is comfortable running out Sorokin as the team’s starter.

And look, it’s obvious that Barry isn’t the only one who’s confident in Sorokin’s abilities. After his 20-21 season, the Isles signed Sorokin to a three-year $12 million deal. A team run by Lou Lamoriello and with Mitch Korn as the Director of Goaltending doesn’t make this type of investment in a goalie unless they know he’s good for it.

There should be no worries as Semyon Varlamov rehabs the soreness that’s keeping him out of the lineup. There’s no reason to rush Varly back and potentially re-aggravate the injury. With Sorokin on the roster, the Isles have a capable shot-stopper they can rely on.

This should be Sorokin’s team soon enough so we can early taste of what that might look like.