Should the NY Islanders bring back David Rittich as an insurance policy?

One year ago, signing David Rittich felt like a necessity for the New York Islanders.

Semyon Varlamov was expected to miss the entire season, the organization had little confidence in the internal backup options after Marcus Hogberg and others struggled to provide stability behind Ilya Sorokin, and Mathieu Darche needed an NHL-caliber goaltender who could handle meaningful starts. Rittich ultimately did exactly that, appearing in 28 games and posting a 2.76 goals-against average with a .894 save percentage.

This summer, though, the conversation around bringing Rittich back is very different.

The Islanders have made it clear that they're planning on Semyon Varlamov entering next season as Sorokin's backup. After undergoing double knee surgeries and missing most of the last two seasons, Varlamov has reportedly been feeling the best he has in years. The hope, according to Darche, is that the veteran can provide between 25 and 30 starts, giving Sorokin the type of workload management he desperately needed last season but never really got.

That's where things get complicated.

Because while the Islanders want to believe Varlamov can return to being one of the NHL's better backup goaltenders, they also know that's far from guaranteed. Varlamov looked strong during his late-season AHL appearances, but carrying a full NHL backup workload after multiple knee surgeries is an entirely different challenge. Injuries happen, and in Varlamov's case, they've happened quite a bit recently.

Which raises an interesting question: should the Islanders try to bring Rittich back anyway?

At first glance, it doesn't make much sense. Rittich is 33 years old and likely still views himself as an NHL goaltender. But the market for veteran backups can be unpredictable, and there may not be a clear path to consistent NHL playing time elsewhere. If that's the case, the Islanders could potentially offer something unique: the opportunity to start regularly in Hamilton while knowing there's a very real chance an NHL opportunity opens up on Long Island.

But for an organization placing a significant bet on Varlamov's health, having David Rittich one phone call away might not be the worst insurance policy in the world.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow