The New York Islanders are off to a middling 3-3-0 start in their mission to get back to the NHL playoffs after being shut out for the last two years.
The Islanders face another tough assignment Thursday night when they hit the road to take on the 5-2-0 Ottawa Senators, the current Atlantic Division leaders. But before the game, the Islanders made an announcement on a goaltender who is facing an even more daunting comeback.
Semyon Varlamov starts in goal for the New York Islanders at Ottawa tonight, the team announced, in only his second NHL start since Nov. 29, 2024. Coach Pete DeBoer confirmed the decision, according to Newsday.
The 38-year-old takes the net after nearly 22 months of rehab on both knees, while a crowded calendar keeps Ilya Sorokin on the bench for needed rest against the Senators tonight.
Sorokin started Tuesday’s home game against the Vancouver Canucks. Counting that one, the Islanders play four games in eight nights and five in 10.
DeBoer set Varlamov’s target at “at least once a week or once every 10 days,” as quoted by amNewYork. Heavier stretches will mean more starts for the backup.
The Islanders enter 3-3-0 with six points and have lost both road games, according to The Associated Press. Kyle Palmieri scored twice in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Vancouver.
Semyon Varlamov’s Knee Surgery Comeback
Varlamov hurt his knee Nov. 29, 2024, then had both knees partially replaced and spent most of the next 22 months in rehabilitation, according to NewYorkIslanders.com.
“I wasn’t ready to retire,” Varlamov said, as quoted by Wright. Setbacks pushed the thought into his mind on some days, he said, but he kept working.
No other NHL player is believed to have resumed a career after replacements in both knees, according to NHL.com.
“That was kind of like a crazy idea, a very risky idea,” Varlamov said, as quoted by NHL.com. No professional hockey player had tried a comeback from those surgeries, he said.
The return built in stages. Varlamov won both of his April starts for Bridgeport of the American Hockey League and stopped 46 of 49 shots, Wright reported. He took part fully in Islanders training camp and made 10 saves in relief of Sorokin in a Sept. 22 preseason game at the Rangers, Rosen reported.
Varlamov made his regular-season return Oct. 6 at Madison Square Garden, stopping 19 of 22 shots in a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers.
The game stood 3-2 until the Rangers added two empty-net goals.
“Everything feels 100%. Nothing holds me back,” Varlamov said after that game.
Islanders Goalie Semyon Varlamov’s Contract and Career
Varlamov is in the final year of a four-year, $11 million contract he signed July 1, 2023. The deal carries a $2.75 million average annual value and expires after the 2026-27 season, according to PuckPedia contract data.
The Islanders landed him as an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2019, on a four-year, $20 million deal with a $5 million annual value, according to theScore. He arrived after eight seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. The Washington Capitals drafted him 23rd overall in 2006, and he played his first three NHL seasons there.
The Samara, USSR, native, born April 27, 1988, is listed at 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds, with 289 wins, 41 shutouts, a 2.65 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage in 622 regular-season games. He helped the Islanders reach the third round of the playoffs in 2020 and 2021.
Islanders Make Semyon Varlamov Decision After Historic Comeback