When Semyon Varlamov went down with an injury in late November, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season, the NY Islanders were missing part of their two-headed monster in the crease, obliging Ilya Sorokin to take on the lion's share of starts. With training camp beginning tomorrow and Varlamov undergoing knee surgery in December, Head Coach Patrick Roy and the Islanders are still uncertain of their netminder's status heading into camp.
In what many described as a "down year," Sorokin still turned in numbers that most NHL teams would envy. The 30-year-old appeared in 61 games, starting 60, and finished with a 30-24-6 record, 2.71 goals-against average, .907 save percentage, and four shutouts. He ranked 10th in the NHL in wins and tied for seventh in shutouts, proving he remained a steady force in net even when the Islanders struggled defensively.