The New York Islanders are staring at a goaltending decision that could come with real downside, and the danger isn’t just the awkwardness of carrying three goalies.
It’s the possibility of carrying only two.
If Semyon Varlamov stays healthy, the Islanders plan to use him as Ilya Sorokin’s backup. That would leave Vitek Vanecek, who signed a one-year deal worth $1 million this summer, in danger of landing on waivers before being sent to Hamilton.
And there’s no certainty he makes it through.
Vanecek has more than 200 NHL games on his résumé, and his .883 save percentage with Utah last season won’t spark a bidding war. Even so, around the league, experienced goalie depth still carries enough value that another team could take a chance and claim him for nothing.
That’s the risk the Islanders are weighing.
“It’s been discussed, and it does handcuff you,” Pete DeBoer said of carrying three goalies. “I don’t think, in talking with Mathieu [Darche], that we want to go there, but it’s on the table if we have to.”
Varlamov has looked impressively sharp after undergoing two partial knee replacements, but no one really knows how his body will hold up to NHL travel, practices and the 25-30 starts DeBoer wants from his backup.
There’s not much of a blueprint for what Varlamov is trying to do.
That uncertainty is exactly why exposing Vanecek feels so uneasy. The Islanders have spent the past two seasons learning the hard way what happens when their goaltending depth vanishes. Sorokin was repeatedly leaned on for heavy workloads when the options behind him weren’t trusted, and he wore down at points in both seasons.
Vanecek isn’t a perfect answer, but he is a veteran NHL goalie the Islanders brought in to guard against the questions surrounding Varlamov.
If they place him on waivers, they could lose that insurance before the season even begins.
Carrying three goalies would cost the Islanders a valuable roster spot.
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