ST. LOUIS — It’s not easy to have three goaltenders who can play in the NHL.
But Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello knows it’s necessary after the team lost Semyon Varlamov to injury earlier this season.
“It’s tough, but it’s the way it should be,” Lamoriello said Thursday before the Islanders’ 4-0 loss to the Blues. “You know, I’m a goaltender. I don’t think you can ever hire enough goaltenders.
“I only need three. [or] Four people — maybe one or two of them aren’t as developed as they should be. But that’s why when we brought in Cory Schneider, we had him here as well. he did a great job there. So you will need 3 or 4. However, it is difficult today due to waiver rules and other factors. If you have a good player, he has to clear waivers, and then when a player goes down, you end up in a situation. [in the AHL] They are very difficult to obtain. They are the insurance for their team. ”
Ilya Sorokin played in 15 consecutive games from December 23 to January 29, as the Islanders were not confident in calling up Ken Appleby. As a result, it seems unlikely that Sorokin will play in more than 60 games in two consecutive seasons.
Of the three goaltenders the Islanders currently have in AHL Bridgeport, only Henrik Tikkanen, who has played in just 10 games in his AHL career, has a save percentage above .900.
Whether that issue can be resolved in the two weeks leading up to the trade deadline is an open question. That’s because there aren’t a lot of No. 3 goalies on the market that could be acquired. (The Islanders are at least fortunate to have two reliable goaltenders in Sorokin and Varlamov, unlike other teams close to them in the standings.)
But if an additional opportunity presents itself, Lamoriello will jump at it.
Lamoriello said Erik Karlsson’s shot early in the third period of Tuesday’s win will be evaluated once the Islanders return to New York. Cizikas was replaced in the lineup by Kyle MacLean on Tuesday.
Hudson Fassing (lower body) will likely play a few games in the AHL for rehab purposes before the Islanders activate him, according to Lamoriello.
Robert Bortuzzo (high ankle sprain) has suffered a setback recently, and Lamoriello said it is unclear when he will return.
