Islanders sign goaltender David Rittich amid Semyon Varlamov uncertainty

The New York Islanders have signed former Los Angeles Kings backup goaltender David Rittich to a one-year contract, as first reported by NHL insider Kevin Weekes and later confirmed by the team.

The terms of the deal are not yet known, but it's a bit of a puzzling signing for New York. There are plenty of teams in the market for goaltending help, but the Islanders – who have a strong tandem of Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov – of weren't supposed to be one of them.

Unfortunately, the signing of Rittich could mean that Varlamov's health isn't quite where the Islanders had hoped it would be at this point in the offseason.

Islanders sign free agent goalie David Rittich amid Semyon Varlamov uncertainty

Varlamov has been sidelined since November with an injury that required season-ending surgery. The 36-year-old appeared in just 10 games last season, finishing with a 3-3-4 record and an uninspiring .889 save percentage. However, he’s just one year removed from a 2022-34 season that saw him finish with a .918 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average.

Varlamov has two years remaining on his contract, making $2.75 million per year. He told reporters at his end-of-season media availability in April that the injury was something that had been ailing him for a considerable amount of time and that he expected to be ready to go in time for Islanders training camp in 2025.

At the end of the season, Varlamov said that he was on track to finish rehab by the start of May and begin skating in June. However, the deafening silence on his health status over the last two months has led to speculation that he may not be able to fulfill the remainder of his contract term.

Beyond Sorokin and Varlamov, the Islanders' goaltending picture is pretty bleak. Their next man up, Marcus Högberg, appeared in 15 games last season and finished with with a rather forgettable 2-6-3 record and .878 save percentage.

As for Rittich, the 32-year-old played 34 games for the Kings last season, posting an .887 save percentage and 2.81 goals-against average. He is a veteran of 230 career NHL games with the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets and Kings since first breaking into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Czechia.