Ilya Sorokin may need to break this personal record this season

Despite coming off a season in which the Islanders shocked everyone by fighting for a playoff spot, expectations remain low for this season. Many see this team as a fringe wild-card contender and expect a drop-off in points. Similar to what the expectations were before last season. To take the next step this season, certain players will need to overachieve. They will need at least one player to put in a career performance in order to make the playoffs. 

One player who can seemingly put this team on his back is Ilya Sorokin. He has been one of the key factors in the Islanders' success over the last few seasons. He is a top-five goaltender in the league and is one of those guys whose performances can make a team better than they actually are. Because of this, you are going to need him in net as much as possible. If the Islanders want to be successful in 2026-27, Sorokin will need to play more than he ever has. 

Ilya Sorokin Can Carry This Team Deeper than Expected 

Sorokin has shown no signs of slowing down. In 55 games last season, he had a 2.68 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. He also led the league with seven shutouts. This performance earned him second place in Vezina Trophy voting. Was he perfect? No. He had a few blowup starts, but that is to be expected. What matters is that the good far outweighed the bad. He looked more like the netminder we were used to him being.     

With Sorokin putting up strong numbers, putting him in net more often than not will be key to the Islanders having success. He can mask some of the questions the Isles have with their forward core. Not knowing who will be the second-line center and the amount of youth in the lineup could cause the offense to be hit or miss. Having Sorokin in net will help the Islanders win games they probably shouldn’t. The offense just needs to score one or two goals, and Sorokin can handle the rest. 

There is also a precedent for the Isles having success when Sorokin plays more. The most games that Sorokin has played in is 62, back in the 2023-24 season. During that year he had a 2.34 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. The Islanders also had a record of 31-22-7 when Sorokin started and finished in fourth place, earning a wild card spot. It’s fair to assume the Isles will have similar success if Sorokin appears in more games. 

If the Isles want to make noise in 2026-27 and finish what they started last season, they will need to lean on Sorokin. He has to be the franchise cornerstone everyone thinks he is and propel this team to the playoffs.     

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