The New York Islanders spent much of last season learning the hard way what happens when the backup goalie position isn’t truly NHL-ready. Ilya Sorokin was forced into a league-high workload, and when he finally needed a breather, the Islanders cycled through Marcus Högberg, Jakub Škarek and even Tristan Lennox, who faced just two shots in his NHL cameo. It wasn’t sustainable, and it wasn’t fair to Sorokin.
So when Semyon Varlamov’s injury updates turned vague and infrequent this fall, newly minted GM Mathieu Darche knew he couldn’t risk a repeat. His solution: the quirky, battle-tested Czech netminder David Rittich, who had quietly put up a strong 2.55 GAA over two seasons in Los Angeles.
The move has proved to be one of the most important under-the-radar upgrades of the Isles’ season.
Seattle Kraken v New York Islanders | Bruce Bennett/GettyImages
Rittich has been everything the Islanders needed and more. He’s 6-2-0 on the year, stabilzing the crease when Sorokin rests and keeping the team afloat during a packed November schedule. In his last three starts, all one-goal Islanders wins, Rittich has stopped 68 of 72 shots, posting a 1.29 GAA and .945 save percentage.
Those aren’t just respectable numbers for a backup — they’re No.1 goalie type numbers.
For a franchise that recorded only five wins last season from goalies not named Sorokin (tying a franchise low), the difference is enormous. Rittich’s calm, composed style -mixed with a little of his trademark unpredictability- has brought something the Islanders didn’t have most of last year: confidence in their No. 2 goaltender.
Even more importantly, his reliability protects Sorokin from the kind of overuse that contributed to last year’s late-season decline. In a season where unexpected heroes keep emerging, David Rittich might be one of the biggest. With Varlamov’s timeline still uncertain, the Isles haven’t just survived. Thanks to Rittich, they’ve thrived.