The Islanders’ hopes in 2026-27 may come back to one familiar place: Ilya Sorokin.
New York missed the playoffs in 2025-26, but there’s a strong case that Sorokin was the main reason the team stayed in the hunt as long as it did. With help from Calder winner Matthew Schaefer, the Islanders spent several months in a playoff spot while Sorokin put together a bounce-back season that had him in the Vezina conversation.
That level didn’t hold all the way through. Sorokin’s play faded late, just as the Islanders slid out of contention.
Whether the culprit was the schedule, fatigue, or backup David Rittich also dropping off after a strong first half, the end result was the same: Sorokin finished with another season that followed a familiar shape. He delivered multiple shutouts - seven, tying a career high and leading the league - and still landed in that 55-to-60-game range he seems to live in.
It was a rebound year, even if it didn’t match the absurd heights of his 2021-23 run. During those seasons, Sorokin was living in elite territory, with a save percentage in the .920s and Goals Saved Above Average in the 30s. In 2025-26, he didn’t quite get back to that level, but at 30, he still spent most of the season looking like one of the league’s best.
The backup situation now adds another layer of uncertainty. Rittich’s unexpectedly solid first half is gone, and Sorokin is 31 with Semyon Varlamov behind him after double knee surgeries, plus Vitek Vanecek, who has five straight seasons with save percentages below .900.
There is at least a chance the setup in front of Sorokin gets better. The Islanders are moving from Patrick Roy to Peter DeBoer, and that could mean fewer dangerous chances against on a nightly basis. That would lighten the load on Sorokin, and the Islanders would certainly welcome that.
Still, with much of the roster returning, the math is pretty clear. If the Islanders are going to make noise, they likely need Sorokin to deliver another Vezina-level season - and they’ll also need one of the backup options to produce something far better than the odds suggest.
In Other News...
Islanders May Already Have Their Biggest Blue-Line Boost In House
Alexander Romanovs return is shaping up to be one of the Islanders most meaningful internal upgrades heading into the new season. General manager Mathieu Darche offered a positive update on the defenseman, who missed most of last year with a shoulder injury, and the early signs are encouraging. Romanov has been back in the mix for a few weeks, looks lighter, and appears to be moving well on the ice, which matters for a blue line that could use exactly that kind of boost.
For a team trying to tighten up defensively and get back to a more dependable identity, having Romanov available again changes the picture in a hurry. His health had already been a major talking point before the injury interrupted things, and now the Islanders are hoping the version they get this season can help steady the back end from the start. The only real question left is whether the progress shown this summer carries over once the games begin for real. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Palmieri Enters Islanders Camp With One Huge Question
Kyle Palmieri is set to enter Islanders training camp with a much different kind of spotlight on him this fall. The veteran winger is expected to be fully healthy after the knee injury that ended his season in November, and his status matters because he remains one of the more established scorers on a roster trying to sort out its next look under a new coach. There is also the simple reality of where Palmieri stands in his career, with free agency looming and his place on the team no longer something the Islanders can take for granted.
What makes this camp especially interesting is that Palmieris role could shift depending on how the new staff wants to use him. He has been part of the Islanders offense for years, but the combination of health, age and contract uncertainty gives this fall a different edge. If he looks like the same player again, he could strengthen both his own market and the clubs options. If not, the Islanders may have a tougher decision ahead than they would like. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Just Added A Rising Executive Fans Should Be Watching
The Islanders have added another layer to their front office with the hiring of Evan Gold as assistant general manager, a move that fits the broader push under Mathieu Darche to modernize the clubs hockey operations. Darche has emphasized Golds unusual mix of experience in law, business and hockey, and that blend made him a natural fit for a role that goes beyond the usual day-to-day admin work.
Gold also brings a rsum that suggests he is more than a behind-the-scenes support piece, since he is already running the Hamilton Hammers in the AHL and has built a reputation as someone on the rise in executive circles. For the Islanders, the appeal is obvious: this is a hire aimed at strengthening the organization now, while also investing in a hockey mind who could become a much bigger name down the road. [Read more 🡒]