The Islanders are still sorting out their crease, and head coach Peter DeBoer isn’t ruling out the awkward solution.
DeBoer told reporters, including Ethan Sears of New York Post Sports, that keeping three goaltenders on the roster has been discussed. It’s not the preferred route, he said, but everything hinges on Semyon Varlamov’s health.
That uncertainty is driving the whole conversation. Varlamov, 38, is trying to return from two partial knee replacements, and New York brought in Vitek Vaněček on a one-year $1MM deal this summer as part of a quiet offseason.
Varlamov hasn’t played for the Islanders since November 2024, though he did make two conditioning appearances for Bridgeport in the spring and posted a .939 save percentage while winning both games. It was his first AHL action since 2010-11, when he was a Capitals prospect.
For Varlamov, this is the final season of his contract at $2.75MM, and after eight years on Long Island, it feels like a closing chapter. If he can get back and handle backup duties behind fellow countryman Ilya Sorokin, that would be a fitting finish to a run that included the Islanders’ deep playoff pushes from 2019-21.
Vaněček brings a different kind of case. The 30-year-old once looked like a rising name in Washington and New Jersey, but his game settled into backup territory.
Last season in Utah, he went 5-13-3 with an .883 SV%. His saves above expected sat at -2.0, according to Moneypuck, which kept him well clear of the league’s worst tier.
Karel Vejmelka started 63 games for the Mammoth, leaving Vaněček with only 19 starts and not much chance to build momentum.
He is waiver eligible depending on how the final roster shakes out, but his resume makes him a tricky fit for the AHL. Vaněček has 210 NHL games under his belt and has played just two minor-league games since 2020.
If New York were to go with Sorokin and Varlamov and try to send Vaněček to Hamilton, the Islanders’ new affiliate, he would instantly be the clear No. 1 there. The only real competition in the system is 25-year-old Henrik Tikkanen.
The roster picture elsewhere could matter too if the Islanders are forced to carry all three goalies. Mathew Barzal is currently week-to-week, and even if he gets back for opening night, New York would still be at 23 players.
The team’s seven defensemen are expected to stay intact, with 22-year-old Isaiah George projected to fill out that group. Up front, prospects like Cole Eiserman and Victor Eklund will make their push, but the likelier outcome is a start in Hamilton.
Pierre Engvall may be the player most squeezed by a three-goalie setup. He’s signed for four more years at $3MM and is working back from hip and ankle surgeries while trying to earn a fresh start under DeBoer.
Right now, he looks like the 14th forward, and if Vaněček takes up another roster spot, Engvall would almost certainly be the odd man out and headed back on waivers, just like two years ago. He logged 16:15 in the preseason opener and finished with one shot on goal.
Vaněček also drew the start against his former team in New Jersey on the day’s action, and he allowed two goals on 22 shots against a Devils lineup made up mostly of AHL depth. He played the full game while the Islanders continued their evaluation. More preseason reps may be hard to come by with Sorokin needing tune-up work and Varlamov’s potential NHL return looming.
In Other News...
Pete DeBoer Is Pushing An Islanders Identity Change That Had To Happen
Pete DeBoers first full season behind the Islanders bench is shaping up as a course correction built on clarity. After a season in which the defensive end needed to look a lot cleaner, the message has been simple so far: keep the game organized, make the reads easier and lean into the kind of structure that lets players know exactly what is expected of them. Bo Horvat and Brayden Schenn have both noted how straightforward DeBoer has been, which matters for a team trying to establish a new standard rather than just patch over old problems.
The bigger challenge is making that identity show up everywhere else on the ice, not just in the defensive zone. The Islanders are also looking to rework their breakouts, improve how they handle the neutral zone and get more out of the power play, all while trying to make the team harder to play against in the areas that decide games. For a roster that needs its details sharpened, the change is less about flash than about habits, and that is exactly why it feels overdue. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Camp Opens With One Big Question About Key Veterans
The Islanders opened 2026-27 training camp with a familiar mix of optimism and uncertainty, as several key veterans showed up in various stages of recovery. Semyon Varlamov is back on the ice after a lengthy rehab, Alex Romanov is said to be in strong shape, and Pierre Engvall has returned after hip and ankle procedures, giving the club a better sense of its depth as the preseason opener against the New Jersey Devils approaches.
Mathew Barzal is the name that hangs over the first few days of camp, even as the Islanders take a cautious approach with his latest injury issue. The team is treating the situation carefully, which leaves his immediate availability for the opener very much up in the air, and it adds another layer of intrigue to a camp that already feels like a test of how quickly this group can get healthy and settled. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Prospects Suddenly Have A Real Opening Night Opportunity
Training camp is giving the Devils a real chance to sort through a few young players before the roster gets locked in for opening night, and three prospects have quickly become names to watch. Amadeus Lombardi, Anton Silaev and Nico Daws are all in the mix as New Jersey works through its final decisions, with the preseason set to open Sept. 20 against the Islanders.
For New York, it is another early reminder that the teams around it are already treating these exhibition games like auditions with consequences. The Devils still have some sorting to do, but the camp chatter has made clear that this is not just about filling out the preseason lineup, and one of the more interesting roster battles is unfolding in goal, where Daws could force his way into a much bigger role if the opportunity stays open. [Read more 🡒]