Islanders reveal Ilya Sorokin injury ahead of training camp

For all the noise that flew around Ilya Sorokin for the past week, the reality didn’t amount to much more than a whimper.

The Islanders’ netminder was the subject of online speculation that crossed the line into recklessness after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on his “32 Thoughts” podcast he believed Sorokin was “battling something” last week.

Turns out, that something is an upper-body injury Sorokin suffered while training over the summer.

“He is skating. It’s nothing we’re concerned about,” general manager Lou Lamoriello said Friday. “When he comes back, I couldn’t tell you right now. Will he miss the first day [of training camp]? Maybe first couple of days. But I’m gonna leave that up to the trainers.”

At least for now, the Islanders are unworried about Sorokin’s availability for the regular season, which begins Oct. 10 against Utah.

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While missing time in camp isn’t ideal, that is a big sigh of relief.

While Sorokin wasn’t himself last season, losing the No. 1 spot on the depth chart down the stretch and getting pulled from his only playoff start, there’s no one on the roster whose fortunes more directly correlate with those of the team at large.

If the Islanders surprise people and end up as a Stanley Cup contender, it will almost certainly be in large part because Sorokin bounces back.

Likewise, if they struggle and fail to make the playoffs, some version of the opposite scenario will almost certainly have played out.

That applies to the long term, as well. Sorokin starts an eight-year contract that will see him make $8.25 million this season and has a full no-move clause.

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His fortune is, in no small measure, the Islanders’ fortune.

As for the unfounded speculation regarding potential off-ice issues, Lamoriello shut it down.

“There is no one with a more impeccable character and mental toughness than Ilya Sorokin,” he said. “I was just shocked. I had no knowledge of anything that was rumored out there. I want to personally put to bed anything anybody [speculated]. He’s been here all summer.”

If the injury does extend into the season, the camp competition for the organization’s third goaltender spot would take on a new importance.

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Marcus Hogberg, Tristan Lennox and Keith Kinkaid — who was brought in on a PTO — are all vying for that title.

After consecutive seasons in which Sorokin was forced to start over an extended run of games due to Semyon Varlamov’s being hurt — he played in 15 straight games at one point — shoring up the organization’s goaltending depth was nonnegotiable this summer.

“Last year, maybe got caught [out] with depth,” Lamoriello said. “So we made sure we had depth in our goaltending. As far as who that will be, I think we all know who No. 1 and No. 2 [are]. … After that, I’m excited to see the competition. I’m hoping that we have a difficult choice to make, whatever that might be.”

Varlamov, of course, would be the unquestioned No. 1 if Sorokin isn’t ready by mid-October.

After taking the top spot at the end of last season, it’s possible Varlamov will start the season in that role anyway, depending how camp goes.

The Islanders do, however, need to see the best of Sorokin more often this year.

“This is someone who’s extremely comfortable in his own skin, mentally tough,” Lamoriello said. “And like Varly, players love to play in front of him and he’s a confident individual. So I have no reservations whatsoever. What we expect out of him, who he is, what he expects out of himself — I hope he answers that question.”

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