On paper, the Islanders probably have one of the best goaltending duos in the whole National Hockey League. Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov are two great goalies who can perform year after year. However, they always seem to fall short in the big moments.
While they reached the playoffs for the past two years, they couldn't get past the first round. Even if most of the blame can be attributed to the team's lack of offensive depth, goalies can carry their teams to the promised land, something both Varlamov and Sorokin failed to do.
The reporter Stefen Rosner shared a post on X that suggests the Islanders want to see more internal competition during training camp. Indeed, he stated that Long Island native Keith Kinkaid was between the pipes for a practice session on Thursday morning. He assumed that he was there because he signed a PTO.
The organization hasn't confirmed anything yet, but it could come very soon.
Kinkaid, 35, was never drafted into the NHL, but still managed to play 169 games for the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and Colorado Avalanche. He maintained solid statistics in the NHL, with a 70-58-21 record, a 2.91 GAA, and a 0.905 SV%.
He also spent a lot of time in the AHL, which is likely what's going to happen if he ends up signing a standard player contract with the Islanders.
With legendary goalie Patrick Roy as head coach, Kinkaid could be in a position to have a great season in Long Island, but he'll need to convince the coaching staff and management that he deserves a shot.
Source for Keith Kinkaid's statistics: Hockey DB
Source:Stefen Rosner on X
POLL | ||
12 SEPTEMBRE | 58 ANSWERS New York Islanders apparently sign goaltender Keith Kinkaid to a PTO Do you think Keith Kinkaid will play in the NHL next season? | ||
Yes | 20 | 34.5 % |
No | 38 | 65.5 % |
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