Ben Shelley: Semyon Varlamov is a wild card for the Islanders

Nice job Ben.

Shat Signing.

Varlamov will be fine in Trotz system as long as he stays healthy.

It'll be very tough for the Isles to have that same goaltending next season.

It'll be very tough for the Isles to have that same goaltending next season.
- RogerRoeper

How tough? Tougher than The Leafs getting out of the first round? Lord I hope not.

Nice job Ben.

Shat Signing.
- nyisles7

At best a puzzling signing. A guy that has been pretty bad the last four seasons and crapped the bed last season and lost his starting job gets a pretty damn good four year contract from us. Seems a bit strange imo and if it was to get sorokin over here I don’t want the (frank)ing kid to come he can stay in the mother land and play for Putin. Lameriello of all people bending over to appease some kid? Meh, I would ike not to believe that.
Hopefully Korn and Greco work some magic with him and it all turns roses but looking at this from the outside it’s a head scratcher.

At best a puzzling signing. A guy that has been pretty bad the last four seasons and crapped the bed last season and lost his starting job gets a pretty damn good four year contract from us. Seems a bit strange imo and if it was to get sorokin over here I don’t want the (frank)ing kid to come he can stay in the mother land and play for Putin. Lameriello of all people bending over to appease some kid? Meh, I would ike not to believe that.
Hopefully Korn and Greco work some magic with him and it all turns roses but looking at this from the outside it’s a head scratcher.
- Cptmjl

Im not buying it.

I think Korn and Greco must have seen something in him. Time will tell.

Im not buying it.

I think Korn and Greco must have seen something in him. Time will tell.
- nyisles7

Yeah maybe? They knew him in Washington but four years five million for what he has thrown up for a while now? Seems strange but like you said time will tell.

Anyone see the russian 5 documentary? Lou went way out of his way to get fetisov to defect and be there to help him. Star player different time but he will do that kind of stuff too and it's why players respect him so much

Lou Lamoriello is a wild card. Is he gonna come to work today? Maybe. Is he gonna make this team better? Not looking good. Sorry but Lou deserves ZERO CREDIT for Barry Trotz winning with Garth Snow’s band of misfits

Yeah maybe? They knew him in Washington but four years five million for what he has thrown up for a while now? Seems strange but like you said time will tell.
- Cptmjl

When he signed Lehner last year I don’t think anyone envisioned him having the year he had. That said Greiss was dreadful the year before last and totally turned it around under the Trotz system and K and G coaching.

Have to think with Varlamov and Greiss we will be ok in net just like last year.

And who knows, maybe there is something between Lou and the agent as far as Sorokin’s future? Again time will tell.

Lou Lamoriello is a wild card. Is he gonna come to work today? Maybe. Is he gonna make this team better? Not looking good. Sorry but Lou deserves ZERO CREDIT for Barry Trotz winning with Garth Snow’s band of misfits
- BringNYIhome

Anyone see the russian 5 documentary? Lou went way out of his way to get fetisov to defect and be there to help him. Star player different time but he will do that kind of stuff too and it's why players respect him so much
- Upstate_isles

If he comes to work today, maybe.

Im not buying it.

I think Korn and Greco must have seen something in him. Time will tell.
- nyisles7

I think the coaching is the difference here. These guys have an ability to get unreal efforts out of all the goalies they’ve coached. I’m actually intrigued by what Korn can get out of Varmalov. Nobody expected Lehner and Greiss to play as well as they did last year. Maybe the same will happen for Varmalov.

- nyisles7

If he comes to work today, maybe.
- nyisles7

You're on a roll...

At best a puzzling signing. A guy that has been pretty bad the last four seasons and crapped the bed last season and lost his starting job gets a pretty damn good four year contract from us. Seems a bit strange imo and if it was to get sorokin over here I don’t want the (frank)ing kid to come he can stay in the mother land and play for Putin. Lameriello of all people bending over to appease some kid? Meh, I would ike not to believe that.
Hopefully Korn and Greco work some magic with him and it all turns roses but looking at this from the outside it’s a head scratcher.
- Cptmjl

He actually had a pretty good year two years ago. Ducks for cover!!

I think the coaching is the difference here. These guys have an ability to get unreal efforts out of all the goalies they’ve coached. I’m actually intrigued by what Korn can get out of Varmalov. Nobody expected Lehner and Greiss to play as well as they did last year. Maybe the same will happen for Varmalov.
- Jethro09

Agreed. The Lehner transformation says it all. Lou Lam knows what he’s doing.

When he signed Lehner last year I don’t think anyone envisioned him having the year he had. That said Greiss was dreadful the year before last and totally turned it around under the Trotz system and K and G coaching.

Have to think with Varlamov and Greiss we will be ok in net just like last year.

And who knows, maybe there is something between Lou and the agent as far as Sorokin’s future? Again time will tell.
- nyisles7

No you don’t😂

He actually had a pretty good year two years ago. Ducks for cover!!
- Vukota

😂
Yeah he posted a .920 sv% sandwiched between a .898 and .903 yippie. Maybe one or two of the four years he’s with us we could get a league average sv% 🤞

Like I said in an earlier post we’ll see what Korn and Greco can do with him? Maybe they work their magic again but was it really necessary to sign him to a four year contract at five million per year? Seems a bit excessive for a player who lost his starting job last season no?

I think the Varlamov signing will work out. The teams in Colorado for most of his time were bottom 5 in the league. The only times they actually made the playoffs was when He carried the team. (Obviously they were a better team last year).. just looking where they finished when he was on the team (17th, 26th, 7th, 21, 22, 30th, in the league). The 7th was when he almost won the Vezina in 2013/14. The bottom line is our coaches wanted him last year and tried to trade for him. This year they wanted him but tried to do the right thing by Lehner first... he did not sign which was a huge mistake by Robin, so they quickly went after their guy. If these guys who are the best goalie coaches in the game wanted him so badly I think it's crazy for us to question it without seeing how it works out. .... When they grabbed Lehner off the scrap heap last year No one around the NHL thought it was a good sign. It turned out pretty well....

would I rather have Robin for 2 years instead of Varly for 4? yeah, probably but I trust these guys. Until they give me reason not to trust them.

I think the Varlamov signing will work out. The teams in Colorado for most of his time were bottom 5 in the league. The only times they actually made the playoffs was when He carried the team. (Obviously they were a better team last year).. just looking where they finished when he was on the team (17th, 26th, 7th, 21, 22, 30th, in the league). The 7th was when he almost won the Vezina in 2013/14. The bottom line is our coaches wanted him last year and tried to trade for him. This year they wanted him but tried to do the right thing by Lehner first... he did not sign which was a huge mistake by Robin, so they quickly went after their guy. If these guys who are the best goalie coaches in the game wanted him so badly I think it's crazy for us to question it without seeing how it works out. .... When they grabbed Lehner off the scrap heap last year No one around the NHL thought it was a good sign. It turned out pretty well....

would I rather have Robin for 2 years instead of Varly for 4? yeah, probably but I trust these guys. Until they give me reason not to trust them.
- niteislander

Totally agree. I think Lehner was maybe caught overplaying his hand a bit. From his comments, I don't think he realized that Lou had a Plan B ready to go forward on July 1. But yeah, like pretty much everyone else here, while $5 MM for 4 years seemed a bit of a stiff price, Lou, Barry, Korn & Co. have earned enough respect that I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I'm sure Varlamov will be fine. If we're lucky, he'll give us the same goaltending we could have gotten for the same price and fewer years at a younger age with Lehner, which I guess still confuses me.

I know about the ultimatum, and Lehner not giving an answer quickly enough so the Isles moved on. But it seems like the Isles had one foot out the door already (we've all read how Lou tried to trade for Varlamov last year and how Korn favors him as well). If they really wanted Lehner back that badly, my guess is the ultimatum snafu would have been avoided with clearer, and earlier, communication.

It sounds to me like Varlamov was probably the first choice here, and if that's the case you have to wonder if the Isles happily paid more for someone they wanted rather than someone they needed. How much better than "best tandem in the league" can you really get with Varlamov instead of Lehner, and is that worth the two or three extra years you have to commit to an older goalie with hip and knee injury history?

It'll be very tough for the Isles to have that same goaltending next season.
- RogerRoeper

Yeah especially since Varlamov turns 89 this year

Lehner letting it get to July 1. and then not calling him back immediately is just absurd. I am sure given his past year he is very loyal to his agent for sticking with him.. but that shouldn't have happened. You should have had something better lined up or not hung up the phone.

They had to sing Robin last year after all the other Goalies signed. They could not/ would not let that happen again this year. The whole situation sux but I think it will work out fine for the Isles and hope Robin continues his stellar play and stays healthy.