Ilya Sorokin’s place among the NHL’s best goalies keeps getting harder to argue with.
NHL Network slotted the New York Islanders netminder fourth on its list of the Top 10 Goaltenders Right Now, putting him behind only Andrei Vasilevskiy, Connor Hellebuyck and Igor Shesterkin. That’s elite company any way you slice it.
The three goalies ahead of Sorokin all have the kind of résumés that make rankings like this feel pretty straightforward. Vasilevskiy won the Vezina Trophy in 2019.
Hellebuyck has become one of the league’s most decorated active goaltenders. Shesterkin took home the award in 2022.
Sorokin has not won the Vezina yet, but he came close in 2022-23, when he finished as a finalist with Hellebuyck and eventual winner Linus Ullmark.
The ranking also stands out for who missed the cut. Ullmark, now with the Ottawa Senators, was left off the Top 10 despite winning the Vezina just three seasons ago. Sergei Bobrovsky also did not make the list, even though he is a two-time Vezina winner and will begin his first season with the Toronto Maple Leafs at age 37.
NHL Network’s full list after Sorokin went Jeremy Swayman at No. 5, Logan Thompson at No.
6, Jake Oettinger at No. 7, Dan Vladar at No.
8, Jesper Wallstedt at No. 9 and Jakub Dobes at No. 10.
The presence of several younger names reflects how quickly the goalie landscape can shift from season to season, especially after strong postseason runs.
For the Islanders, Sorokin being near the top of this kind of list is nothing new. He has been one of the franchise’s most important players for years, giving New York the kind of high-end goaltending that can swing games on its own. That will matter again this season if the Islanders want to stay in the playoff mix.
The hope is that Semyon Varlamov’s return will help Sorokin get enough rest so he does not wear down late in the year the way he has in past seasons.
Sorokin is still chasing his first Vezina Trophy, but this latest ranking makes the point plainly: after last season, he is firmly established as one of the NHL’s top goaltenders.
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