Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov not close to returning to practice with team
New York Islanders fans are going to have to wait a little longer before Semyon Varlamov skates with the rest of his teammates.
Reporters asked head coach Patrick Roy Wednesday if Varlamov would return to the team sometime in the near future, to which Roy responded with a one-word answer.
“No.”
Roy was asked if he expected Varlamov to rejoin the group soon.
Roy: "No."#Isles
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) September 24, 2025
The news comes as Varlamov, who last played Nov. 29, 2024 and has two years remaining on a four-year, $11 million contract with a cap hit of $2.75 million, has yet to practice with the team through training camp, only skating on his own.
Varlamov appeared in just 10 games in 2024-25, posting a 3-4-3 record, a 2.89 goals against average (GAA) and .889 save percentage (SV%). After the season ended, the netminder told reporters he expected to be ready for training camp.
“Everything is going well with rehab and physiotherapy,” he said. “The main focus for me to finish the rehab, hopefully soon, and have a good summer of training, and then ready for September for training camp. That’s the goal.”
However, the Islanders signed veteran goalie David Rittich to a one-year contract on July 1, fuelling speculation that the 37-year-old Varlamov wouldn’t be ready in time for the upcoming season.
Joining the Islanders ahead of the 2019-20 season, the Samara, Russia, native has produced a 76-63-21 record with a .916 SV% and 2.57 GAA in 173 regular-season games through six seasons. Arguably his best regular-season totals on Long Island came during the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 campaign, posting a 19-11-4 record with a .929 SV% and 2.04 GAA in 36 regular appearances.
Between 2020 and 2021, he posted an 18-14 record with a .922 SV% and 2.31 GAA in 34 Stanley Cup Playoff games, helping New York reach the Conference Finals in 2020.
Varlamov, a 2006 first-round pick for the Washington Capitals, has appeared in 621 NHL regular-season games across 17 seasons with the Islanders, Capitals and Colorado Avalanche, posting a 289-232-71 record with a .916 SV% and 2.65 GAA, along with 41 shutouts.
His best season in a non-COVID-19 effected year came in 2013-14 with the Avalanche, posting a 41-14-6 record with a .927 SV% and 2.41 GAA in 63 appearances. He finished second in Vezina Trophy voting and placed fourth in Hart Trophy voting.
The Islanders went 35-35-12 with 82 points in 2024-25, finishing sixth in the Metropolitan Division and falling nine points short of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.