The New York Islanders are coming off of a 2-0 shutout loss after a perfect 3-0-0 roadtrip. Goaltender Marcus Hogberg was just about the only bright spot on the Isles in their 2-0 embarrassment by the Ottawa Senators as he saved 25 of 26 shots. This is coming off the heels of a game against Utah three days ago where he saved 21 of 22 shots in the 1-0 win.

Needless to say, he has been fantastic this year in the short amount of time he’s gotten on the ice, with a 1.42 GAA and a .953 save percentage. However, his elite production may have created an issue.

The Problem

Semyon Varlamov is currently on the injured list, with Ilya Sorokin battling an illness that has kept him out as well. With Hogberg’s emergence, it is a no brainer to keep him and his production with the team going forward.

However, when Varlamov eventually returns, the Islanders do not have the cap space to carry all three goaltenders at the same time, despite Hogberg being on a cheap two-year $775,000 contract.

Solution #1

Despite the limited action, Hogberg has been miles ahead of Varlamov this year. At 36 years old, Varlamov has a 2.89 GAA paired with a .889 save percentage in the ten games he’s played this year, and has two-years and $2.75 million left on his deal. Unless he directly asks out, the Islanders are stuck with him as he has a full no-trade clause.

Solution #2

Another possibility for Varlamov is waiving him and having another team claim him. While this is a solution, it doesn’t seem like a move that the Islanders will make due to the important relationships he has made with the organization.

GM Lou Lamoriello has shown his love and trust in his players for years now, which is likely not changing, making waiving Varlamov highly unlikely.

Solution #3

Option three, and what seems most likely, is waiving Hogberg. Hopes are that he can clear waivers and be sent down to the Bridgeport Islanders in order to stay within the Islanders organization. Unfortunately, chances are that a team with goaltender needs would swoop in to claim him off waivers, especially due to his appealing cheap price tag.

Join the best sports community on Discord!

Follow Fantom Sports on X!

Want to partner with Fantom Sports? Contact us here!