Ilya Sorokin’s value to the Islanders has never been hard to spot, but NHL Network’s latest ranking put it in sharper focus. The network placed the New York goaltender at No. 35 on its Top 50 Players list heading into the 2026-27 season, a nod to just how much he carried the team through much of last year.
Sorokin finished as the Vezina Trophy runner-up for the second time in his career, and his numbers before the Olympic break told the story of a goalie dragging his club along. He was 20-13-2 with a 2.44 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and six shutouts. He closed the season with a career-high seven shutouts, which led the NHL.
But the back half of the year looked very different. After the Olympics, Sorokin went 9-11-0 with an .886 save percentage, and the Islanders ultimately slipped out of the playoff race. NHL Network’s Mike Rupp said what plenty of Islanders fans watched unfold: the workload caught up with him.
"They relied on him a little too much," Rupp said, noting the Islanders couldn't turn to backup David Rittich as frequently during the second half. "This has happened for a few years now where he has faded a bit down the stretch because I think his workload is so heavy."
Former NHL goaltender Cory Schneider took the point even further when he talked about what Sorokin means to the roster.
"Means about everything," Schneider said. "The only reason they were in the position they were is, I think, because of Ilya."
That’s where the discussion got interesting on the NHL Network set. Sorokin’s presence may be so strong that it covers up other issues in the Islanders’ roster construction.
With him in net, they can hang around the playoff picture. Without him, the standings might look a lot uglier.
"With this guy, it is," Rupp said when asked whether the Islanders are a playoff team. "He is a guy that can single-handedly almost get you to the playoffs every single season."
Pete DeBoer’s arrival could end up mattering as much to Sorokin as it does to the Islanders overall. Schneider pointed to DeBoer’s track record with structured defensive teams as a way to ease the burden on the goalie.
If that happens, Sorokin and the Islanders could both climb the rankings next season.
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