The New York Islanders re-signed UFA goaltender Semyon Varlamov and forward Pierre Engvall to a new contracts. Varlamov’s contract runs for four years, expiring after the 2026-27 season. Varlamov’s deal pays him a total of $11 million, equating to an $2.75 million cap hit annually.
Engvall’s contract is a seven-year deal a cap hit of $3 million per.
Semyon Varlamov and Pierre Engvall Sign New Contracts with Islanders
In 583 career games to-date, Valamov posted a 272-220-64 record. Over that span, he carried a .916 save percentage and 2.65 goals against average. Varlamov’s first contract came with the Washington Capitals, who drafted him in the first round of the 2006 entry draft. Last season, he sported a .913 save percentage and 2.70 goals against average, along with a 11-9-2 record.
Though his statistics sat near his career average, his team (the New York Islanders) phased his workload down every year over the last four years. Ilya Sorokin became their bona fide starting goaltender and plan for the future, reducing Varlamov’s role. However, they will be one of the best goaltending tandems in the league.
Engvall split the 2022-23 season between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Islanders scoring 17 goals and 13 assists in 76 games. He has scored 47 goals and 92 points in 244 career games.
What this Means for the Future
Varlamov flew under the radar pretty much his entire career but remains one of the most consistent netminders in the NHL. In 11 of his 15 seasons, he recorded at least a .910 save percentage and averages a .568 quality start percentage over his whole body of work.
Despite his long career, Varlamov only owns five seasons with postseason experience. Despite the smaller volume there, his playoff stats look fantastic. His best playoff years came in the last couple of seasons too, leading the Islanders to the Conference Finals in 2019-20 and Semifinals in 2020-21.
Varlamov is an exceptional backup for Sorokin and allows the Islanders to not overwork the newly signed starter.
Main Photo: Thomas Salus-USA TODAY Sports
