Star Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin had back surgery this summer, according to coach Patrick Roy.
General manager Lou Lamoriello mentioned that Sorokin got hurt during the off-season but is already back on the ice and should be ready for training camp. The timing of this surgery isn’t ideal, especially after he signed an eight-year, $66M contract last summer. This injury might explain his lower stats last season with a .908 save percentage and 3.01 goals-against average, which led to Semyon Varlamov taking over in the playoffs. In Game 3 against the Hurricanes, Sorokin allowed three goals on 14 shots before being pulled out .
Still, Sorokin is seen as a top-10 NHL goalie going into this season despite his recent struggles. He finished eighth in Vezina Trophy voting last year and was impressive in previous seasons with a .924 save percentage and 2.37 goals-against average across two years. He even came close to winning the Vezina Trophy in 2023 but lost to Linus Ullmark.
Backup Plan:
If Sorokin’s recovery takes longer than expected, fans can relax knowing Varlamov is a solid backup option. Even though he’s been limited to fewer than 30 starts each of the past three seasons due to Sorokin’s performance, he still posted good numbers: .918 save percentage and 2.60 goals-against average with three shutouts last year.
Sorokin was picked by the Isles in the third round of the 2014 draft and has maintained a .919 save percentage over 192 regular-season NHL games since coming to North America in 2020.
Fans might wonder if this surgery will affect his performance long-term or if he’ll bounce back stronger than ever.
What do you think? Will Sorokin come back better after his surgery?
