Expensive Islanders Goalie Not Expected to Join Team 'Any Time Soon' Per Head Coach Patrick Roy

The New York Islanders have undergone dramatic change in recent times, and with a fantastic first-round in the 2025 NHL Draft, including No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer, the future is looking bright under new General Manager Mathieu Darche.

With elite level talents like Mat Barzal and Ilya Sorokin on the roster, they'll be an interesting team to watch in 2025/26 as well, and now, it appears as though there could be some major drama brewing.

It's been a rather stress free off-season for the Islanders, but now, in a recent interview, Head Coach Patrick Roy has revealed that goaltender Semyon Varlamov is not expected to join the team anytime soon.

Varlamov played in just 10 games this past season, and despite reports that he was expected to recover in time for training camp this off-season, things are trending in the opposite direction, as his future in the NHL is now unclear.

On top of that, Darche addressed the situation in early August, noting that Varlamov was 'feeling good' and 'progressing well', but unfortunately, the writing may be on the wall for the 37-year old netminder.

Ultimately, the lack of transparency in this situation has filled some Islanders fans with dread over the future of Varlamov, and while there's a chance he comes back healthy in 2025/26 and plays a key role for New York, with these recent comments from Roy, it's unclear exactly what the future will hold.