Vitek Vanecek finds himself in a tricky situation where much of his future seems to rest on factors beyond his control.
The goalie, who recently joined the Islanders with a one-year, $1 million contract, isn’t necessarily vying to outshine Semyon Varlamov. Instead, he needs the team to determine that having a third goalie on the roster is essential, especially considering Varlamov’s health concerns and the risk of losing Vanecek to waivers.
This reality was pretty much confirmed by coach Pete DeBoer after the Islanders’ recent 2-1 preseason loss to the Devils, a game where Vanecek played the entire duration and made 20 saves.
“It’s been discussed, and it does handcuff you,” DeBoer noted when asked about the possibility of keeping three goalies on the 23-man roster. “I think that’s all gonna depend on how Varly’s doing, how he’s feeling and things like that. I don’t think we want to go there, but it’s something we’ll consider if needed.”
Varlamov, who is expected to play in two of the last three preseason games, has shown no signs in training camp that he won’t be ready for the season. He moves well, stops shots effectively, and seems to be on track.
The team isn’t going to deny him the chance to back up Ilya Sorokin as long as he’s fit. Varlamov has impressed the entire franchise with his commitment to returning after two partial knee replacements. They certainly don’t want to be the reason he can’t make a successful comeback.
However, there’s a sensible concern here. No one can predict how the rigors of an 84-game season—comprising travel, practices, and the 25 to 30 games expected from the backup goalie—will impact Varlamov’s knees. His situation is unique with no precedents to draw from.
Furthermore, there’s context to consider: the Islanders have leaned heavily on Sorokin over the past two seasons. The lack of a reliable backup while Varlamov was sidelined has been a major factor in the team missing the playoffs during that time.
Vanecek, last season, recorded an .883 save percentage in 22 games with Utah, which is noticeably lower than David Rittich’s .894—a mark the Islanders didn’t trust much towards the end of the season. If Varlamov, or even Sorokin, gets injured, the backup situation won’t be ideal.
That said, Vanecek brings over 200 games of NHL experience to the table. He’s a known entity, and at least the Islanders have a sense of what they can expect from him. Joshua Kotai, a prospect from the AHL, is probably next in line but hasn’t proven himself to the same extent yet. However, he has shown promise during training camp.
“I’m not thinking about it too much,” Vanecek shared regarding the larger picture after Sunday’s game. “I’m just focusing on my performance and we’ll see what happens.”
The simplest resolution would be if Vanecek passes through waivers unclaimed, but that’s far from a certainty in a league that is often in need of goaltending. The Islanders can’t afford to lose him to waivers, only to have Varlamov face more health issues and then regret their decision.
On another note, the competition for roster spots, especially among forwards, is quite fierce. Could the Islanders really send Victor Eklund down just to retain a third goalie? And what about Kyle MacLean, Mitchell Chaffee, or Pierre Engvall?
Such decisions are complex and made even more challenging by the realization that not only does Eklund seem to have earned his place, but prospects like Kashawn Aitcheson and Cole Eiserman are also making a strong case for themselves.
Having organizational depth is a good dilemma to have, certainly.
