Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov out indefinitely

The New York Islanders announced Saturday that goaltender Semyon Varlamov will be out of the lineup indefinitely.

Sidelined since late November due to a lower-body ailment, Varlamov has seen just 10 showings this season in which he has posted a 3-4-3 record with an .889 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average. In 2023-24, Varlamov saw 28 contests, putting up a 14-8-4 record with a .918 save percentage, 2.60 goals-against average, and three shutouts.

Originally chosen 23rd overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2006 NHL Draft, the 36-year-old Russian-born netminder has totaled 621 career appearances counting stops with the Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, and Islanders in which he has amassed a 289-232-71 record with a .916 save percentage, 2.65 goals-against average, and 41 shutouts.

Per PuckPedia, Varlamov is in the second year of a four-year contract that carries a $2.75-million annual average value. Varlamov originally joined the Islanders in 2019 as an unrestricted free agent.

In Varlamov’s absence, the Islanders have turned to starter Ilya Sorokin who through 36 games in 2024-25 has posted an 18-14-4 record coupled with a .907 save percentage and 2.65 goals-against average. As well, former Ottawa Senators draftee Marcus Hogberg, on recall from the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, has seen seven showings in New York’s crease, coming away with two victories alongside an .898 save percentage and 3.26 goals-against average.

Winners of sixth straight, the Islanders have climbed into the playoff chase in the Eastern Conference. On the season, the Islanders stand 23-20-7 and four points back of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second wildcard position. The Islanders and Lightning face off Saturday in Tampa Bay.

The Islanders have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five of the past six seasons, but have fallen to the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes in both of their most recent appearances.