NY Islanders Goalie Semyon Varlamov Expected to Contribute Next Season

Will Semyon Varlamov be able to contribute for the New York Islanders next season?

Dec 3, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov (40) looks on during warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders are getting set for the start of training camp, which is shockingly coming up quickly. While the team might not have been super active this offseason, they do have hopes of competing this year. 

Coming off a better-than-expected year during the 2025-26 campaign, the Islanders will be an interesting team to monitor this coming year. 

With Peter DeBoer coming in as the head coach of the team right at the end of the season, he will be looking to bring a winning mindset for the group going forward. 

The Islanders are fortunate to have one of the best young players in the league in Matthew Schaefer to build around, but were mostly quiet this summer. Due to the cap situation not being the best, New York is being patient when it comes to not trading their prospects, trying to make a splash. 

While the team might have had a quiet summer, they are expecting to have a number of players who missed time return from injury this coming season. One of them is their veteran goalie Semyon Varlamov. 

Stefen Rosner recently wrote about Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov being expected to be 100 percent healthy and ready for a big role next season. 

Varlamov Expected to Contribute

Nov 25, 2024; Elmont, New York, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Lucas Raymond (23) (not pictured) scores a goal past New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) during the third period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The absence of Varlamov for much of the last two years has been felt by the Islanders, who haven’t seen him in the net for quite some time. While New York is fortunate to have a great young goalie in Ilya Sorokin, it is important over the course of a long season to have a good backup. 

In six seasons with the Islanders, Varlamov has been a really good player, and as he gets closer to 40 years old, he is fully transitioning to the backup role. However, even though he might not play 50 games in a season for New York, he is still very capable of being an important part of the team. 

With a career GAA of 2.57 for the Islanders, there is a lot to like about what he will be able to provide in the net behind Sorokin. 

What is really important in all of this is that he is expected to be fully ready for training camp. That is a great indication about his health, and being able to get a full camp in will help with what undoubtedly has to be some rust. 

If the 38-year-old is healthy, the Islanders will once again have a great duo in between the pipes.