Semyon Varlamov is nowhere closer to suiting up for the NY Islanders

Losing Semyon Varlamov just after Thanksgiving last season proved to be detrimental to the NY Islanders' playoff hopes. Missing half of their two-headed monster between the pipes, more pressure was put on the shoulders of Ilya Sorokin, who had a down season by his standards amid the team's difficulties on the penalty kill.

Undergoing knee surgery, the assumption was that Varlamov would be ready to go for the start of the 2025-26 season. But with one of Mathieu Darche's first orders of business at the start of free agency being to sign a backup goaltender in David Rittich, flags were raised as to Varly's health heading into the season.

Varlamov still on the Islanders' sideline

While Varlamov was in attendance at media day before the start of training camp, today we learned he isn't quite ready to hit the ice with his teammates.

When asked today if Varlamov would join the group soon, Patrick gave a quick, "No," not elaborating any further.

Rittich is certainly a capable backup in this league, entering his tenth NHL season for his sixth different franchise, but Varlamov has been vital to the team's success in recent seasons.

With plenty of teams in need of backup goalies, one has to wonder if the Islanders are expecting Varly to be out for the entirety of the season, leading Rittich to sign on Long Island, knowing his position is safe rather than becoming the third option.

At 37 years old, Varlamov is at the tail end of his career, and injuries of this magnitude aren't as easy to come back from. With two years remaining on a four-year deal that comes with a $2.75M cap hit, hopefully, this isn't the last we've seen of one of the franchise's top netminders throughout its history.