Stefen Rosner of NHL.com is reporting that New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov is expected to return to team practice at some point this week. The update comes from Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello and is a bit of good news after the Islanders had a goaltending scare on Saturday when starter Ilya Sorokin fell ill, and the team had to start third-stringer goaltender Marcus Hogberg in net and recall Jakub Skarek on an emergency basis.
The situation ended up favorably, as Hogberg started last night against Utah and picked up the win by stopping 21 of 22 shots. Hogberg has given the Islanders some incredible play in Varlamov’s absence, posting a .950 save percentage and a goals saved above expected of 5.0 (as per Money Puck). However, the Islanders can’t rely on a third-string netminder long-term, and Varlamov’s return will represent an upgrade.
With the shuffling of goaltenders, the Islanders AHL affiliate in Bridgeport added to their goaltending depth by signing Hunter Miska to an AHL deal (as per Rosner). The 29-year-old had been playing in the KHL this season with Dynamo Moscow, registering a .908 save percentage and a 2.81 goals-against average in 14 games. The North Branch, Minnesota native hasn’t played in North America since the 2021-22 seasons and has spent much of his professional career in the AHL while he was a member of the Colorado Eagles. Miska does have six games of NHL experience, five of which were with the Avalanche and one with the Arizona Coyotes.