- Semyon Varlamov is healthy and will be a full participant in Islanders training camp
- GM Mathieu Darche called the 38-year-old goalie’s recovery “almost a miracle”
- Read below for the latest on Romanov, Palmieri and the Islanders goalie plan
Semyon Varlamov is going to play hockey again.
New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche was asked Wednesday how his 38-year-old goalie looks heading into camp. He called it almost a miracle, then talked himself out of the word a sentence later.
“He’s doing great, actually. It’s almost a miracle. Well, it’s not a miracle because he’s really put in the work. He’s been back here for at least a month. He’s on the ice four to five times a week, no medication, no pain, anything like that.”
Mathieu Darche
Varlamov has not appeared in an NHL game since Nov. 29, 2024. Two knee procedures and a long rehab filled the gap, and Darche now expects him to play preseason games, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com.
Getting him back matters most for Ilya Sorokin. The Islanders leaned on their starter hard down the stretch, running him out for 18 of the final 19 games from March 5 on, and the work behind him never held up.
| Goalie (2025-26) | Record | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilya Sorokin | 29-24-2 | 2.68 | .906 | 7 |
| David Rittich | 14-10-3 | 2.76 | .894 | 2 |
| Vitek Vanecek (UTA) | 5-13-3 | 2.93 | .883 | 1 |
Sorokin’s seven shutouts led the NHL. He also carried a workload nobody in the organization wanted him to carry, which is why New York signed Vanecek on July 1 and why Varlamov’s return changes the math.
“We kind of overused Ilya (down the stretch) and (Varlamov) is so well-liked around the room. His collaboration with Ilya is awesome. So, right now, everything looks great.”
Mathieu Darche
Alexander Romanov’s recovery is the other headline. The defenseman needed shoulder surgery after Mikko Rantanen boarded him last November, and he reported to Long Island 12 pounds lighter than a year ago.
Darche liked what he saw on the ice: “That’s as good as I’ve seen him, the way he’s moving on the ice. I challenged him at the end of the year, and he put in the work this summer.”
Kyle Palmieri has been skating all summer after tearing his right ACL on Nov. 28 against the Flyers, and Pierre Engvall is cleared following the ankle injury that wiped out his entire season.
Beyond Vanecek and forward Matias Maccelli, the roster barely moved this summer. Most of the offseason action came in the ownership group. Darche added that he is not planning to hand out any professional tryouts before camp.
A healthy Varlamov gives the Islanders the goalie insurance they never had last season, when they finished seven points behind the Flyers for the final Metropolitan Division playoff spot.
