The New York Islanders Banking on Ilya Sorokin Returning to Vezina Form

The Plus/Minus Sides of New York Islanders Starting Goalie Ilya Sorokin

PLUS

In 2023, Sorokin earned a Vezina nomination following an outstanding 2022-23 campaign. He started 60 games, winning 31, and posting a 2.34 GAA to go with a .924 SV%. That performance propelled the New York Islanders to a wildcard berth, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.

That season truly put Sorokin on the map as a workhorse starting goaltender. Over the past three seasons, he’s started at least 52 games, consistently putting up a 900-plus save percentage.

Moreover, Sorokin has been a go-to netminder when the team has not played well. He’s stolen games for the Isles, often going toe-to-toe with the league’s best netminders. Sorokin is the type of goaltender who bails out defenders when they make mistakes, allowing the team in front of him to play more confidently.

With Sorokin under contract for the foreseeable future, there is no reason for concern about the Isles’ goaltending situation. The 29-year-old Russian has proven he can handle the workload, playoff pressure, and responsibility of leading an NHL team over an entire season.

So, there’s little reason to doubt that Sorokin is the real deal. The key will be for the Isles to play solid defense in front of Sorokin, reducing the need for the club to rely on his spectacular play just to keep the club alive in most games.

Overall, the Isles are set in goal with Ilya Sorokin. The philosophy here is building the team from the net out. With a solid defensive in front of him, the New York Islanders should have fewer headaches this upcoming season as they challenge the big players in the Metro Division.

MINUS

Last season’s relative down year raised questions about Sorokin’s reliability. While he 55 games and posted a respectable .909 SV%, questions emerged about his ability to sustain the Vezina-caliber play he showed the year before.

Specifically, a slow start led to questions about Sorokin’s true value as a number-one goaltender. The good news was that Semyon Varlamov was there to help shoulder the load as the Isles turned things around following a coaching change.

After Patrick Roy took over, the team played much better in front of Sorokin, allowing him to show more of the play that earned him a Vezina nomination. Moreover, injuries had decimated the blue line, putting even more pressure on Sorokin to perform.

Critics point this 3.01 GAA as a warning sign of impending doom for the New York Islanders and Ilya Sorokin. The fact of the matter is that inflated GAA is more a reflection of the team’s overall play than Sorokin’s lack of success.

A full year under Patrick Roy should help Sorokin get the support he needed, especially since Roy himself was once a Vezina-winning netminder. Sorokin is due for a bounce-back year, particularly if the team in front of him can play solid defense.

There’s one other issue to keep an eye on. Sorokin is 29 and not getting any younger. As such, age may play a factor in Sorokin’s ability to handle the workload across a full season. That situation may force the Islanders to move into a tandem situation in order to cut down on Sorokin’s overall workload.

But then again, age is just a number. The Florida Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky played out of his mind last season at age 35. He was in goal for the entire Panthers’ postseason run, hardly missing a beat. With the exception of one bad game in the playoffs, Bobrovsky was lights out.

Thus, Bobrovsky could be a shining example of what the Islanders can expect from Ilya Sorokin as long as the club plays tough defense and supports efforts with enough scoring to win games.

The Verdict

On the whole, Ilya Sorokin is due for a bounce-back year. The Isles should play a better overall game. With a fully healthy blue line and some key additions up front, the Isles should be in the playoff conversation from the get-go.

Unless the wheels somehow fall off Sorokin’s train, he should return to his Vezina-caliber form. 2024-25 is poised to be a year in which Sorokin proves his Vezina nomination was not a fluke.