Star Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin underwent again surgical procedure this offseason, head coach Patrick Roy instructed reporters Monday, by way of Stefen Rosner of NHL.com and The Hockey News. Common supervisor Lou Lamoriello said Friday that Sorokin sustained an undisclosed damage this summer season however had already returned to the ice and was anticipated to be a full participant shortly after coaching camp started.
A big offseason process doubtless isn’t the best way both facet needed to preface the eight-year, $66M extension he signed final summer season. But when a again damage was plaguing him final season, it provides an evidence for his extra down-to-earth .908 SV% and three.01 GAA that ended up dropping him the starters’ crease to Semyon Varlamov in playoff motion. Sorokin did begin in Sport 3 of the primary spherical in opposition to the Hurricanes, however he allowed three targets on 14 photographs earlier than getting pulled.
Regardless of these struggles, there’s little query that Sorokin stays a top-10 netminder within the NHL getting into this season. He nonetheless completed eighth in Vezina Trophy voting final season and constructed up fairly the acclaim within the two years prior, posting a .924 SV% and a pair of.37 GAA with 13 shutouts in 114 appearances throughout the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns. He was the no-contest runner-up to Linus Ullmark in Vezina voting in 2023.
But when Sorokin’s restoration stretches into the common season for no matter purpose, the Isles nonetheless have a spectacular backup plan with Varlamov. Resulting from Sorokin’s brilliance, the 36-year-old Russian has been restricted to fewer than 30 begins in every of the previous three seasons, however he’s nonetheless been properly above common. He had a .918 SV%, 2.60 GAA and three shutouts in 28 appearances final season.
Sorokin, 29, was a third-round decide of the Isles in 2014. He has a .919 SV% in 192 regular-season NHL video games since arriving in North America in 2020.