Semyon Varlamov Value Rising? The Case To Keep Him on the Island

The 2022 NHL Trade Deadline is fast approaching, and the New York Islanders have a few names circulating the rumor pool. There’s been chatter around New York Islanders netminder Semyon Varlamov but is trading Varlamov the right thing to do?

On the surface, Semyon Varlamov is a perfect trade candidate.

At 33-years old, Varlamov has one year remaining with a cap hit of $5 million. He also has a modified no-trade clause which allows him to submit a list of 16 teams he does not want to be traded to, and New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello must oblige.

Since signing in the summer of 2019, Varlamov has done precisely what the Islanders have asked and then some.

Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders top goaltender prospect and fellow Russian, came over from the KHL, and Varlamov has served as the mentor the Islanders envisioned.

Sorokin, 26, has shown his worth over his first two NHL seasons and will be the no. 1 netminder on the island for years to come.

As this season has progressed, the Islanders have played significantly better in front of Sorokin. Although not perfect, Sorokin has been able to have success in a season where the Islanders have had very little.

Sorokin is 19-12-7 on the season, with a 2.32 GAA (8th) and a .925 SV% (6th), along with six shutouts (2nd). Varlamov is 4-12-1 on the season, with a 2.85 GAA and a .912 SV%.

Varlamov has not done much to increase his trade value this season, but he may have earned himself a first-round return over his last two starts.

This past Monday, against the Colorado Avalanche, Varlamov stopped 44 of 49 shots in a 5-4 loss. He was not the problem as he stood on his head in a game that should have been over after the first twenty minutes.

Varlamov followed that performance up with his fourth win of the season, as he stopped 25 of 27 in the 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.

But athletes are more than just their stat sheets. There’s much more to the game that the common fan or even the die-hard fan can’t see nor understand, and it seems that the bond that Semyon Varlamov has built with Ilya Sorokin is very strong.

“He’s Ilya’s biggest fan when Ilya’s in the net, and Ilya’s Varly’s biggest fan when he’s in net,” Trotz said. “They go everywhere together.”

“You see them go for walks… they truly are friends. When they are in the net, they cheer for each other, which is a great attribute to have.”

Trading Varlamov will create more cap space for the Islanders this offseason, but at what cost?

Not that Sorokin will fall off a cliff production-wise if Varlamov leaves town, but there is a conformability already in place.

It could be more beneficial for Sorokin’s development to keep Varlamov around for one more season.

Trotz likes to run tandems, and if the Islanders want to have a bounce-back season in 2022-23, they are going to need two goaltenders. That does not mean Sorokin and Varlamov need to split starts fifty-fifty but having a reliable tandem in place is a necessity.

If a team overpays for Varlamov at or around the trade deadline, the Islanders need to do what’s best for them. But unless Lamoriello gets what he’s looking for, trading Varlamov is not something that NEEDS to happen.