NY Islanders could take huge risk putting free agent signing on waivers

The New York Islanders have a decision coming in goal, and the biggest risk might not be carrying three goaltenders.

It might be carrying only two.

If Semyon Varlamov continues looking healthy, the Islanders intend for him to back up Ilya Sorokin. That leaves Vitek Vanecek, signed for one year at $1 million this summer, potentially headed for waivers before being assigned to Hamilton.

There's no guarantee he gets there.

Vanecek has played more than 200 NHL games. His .883 save percentage with Utah last season isn't going to create a bidding war, but goaltending depth is valuable enough around the league that another team could decide he's worth claiming for nothing.

That's the gamble.

"It's been discussed, and it does handcuff you," Pete DeBoer said of carrying three goalies. "I don't think, in talking with Mathieu [Darche], that we want to go there, but it's on the table if we have to."

Apr 29, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Utah Mammoth goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) warms up before the start of game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Varlamov has looked remarkably good after undergoing two partial knee replacements. But nobody really knows how his knees will respond to NHL travel, practices and the 25-30 starts DeBoer wants from his backup.

There isn't much precedent for what Varlamov is attempting.

That's what makes exposing Vanecek uncomfortable.

The Islanders have spent the last two seasons learning what happens when their goaltending depth disappears. Sorokin was repeatedly forced into heavy workloads when the alternatives weren't trusted, and he wore down during stretches of both seasons.

Vanecek isn't a perfect solution. But he's an experienced NHL goaltender the Islanders signed specifically as protection against uncertainty surrounding Varlamov.

Putting him on waivers could eliminate that protection before the season even starts.

Carrying three goalies costs the Islanders a valuable roster spot.

Losing Vanecek costs them insurance. And if Varlamov's remarkable comeback hits a setback, that's one preseason gamble the Islanders could quickly wish they hadn't taken.

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