According to Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic, the New York Islanders could trade goaltender Semyon Varlamov this season.
Honestly, the chances of a Varlamov trade depends on if the Islanders can climb back into the playoff hunt or not. After a horrendous start to the campaign, they now have a 14-14-6 record but have a 7-2-1 record over their last 10 contests.
They are currently 16 points behind the Boston Bruins for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. They also have four games in hand, so they aren’t out of the running. Yet, they will need to win a lot from here to have any shot of making the playoffs.
If the Islanders aren’t able to get back into the playoff hunt, Varlamov will surely become one of the biggest goalies on the market. His contract ends after next season and Ilya Sorokin will be the starting goalie of the Islanders for years to come, so a trade seems very possible.
At this point, Varlamov has a 3-7-1 record but also sports a 2.65 goals-against average and .914 save percentage. He is a legitimate starter and could help playoff teams who are dealing with inconsistency from their goaltenders. The Washington Capitals, Edmonton Oilers, and Colorado Avalanche all come to mind.
Alas, we will have to wait and see if Varlamov ends up being moved by the deadline.
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