There are only a handful of elite goaltenders in the NHL, and the NY Islanders have one of them. Ilya Sorokin has proven he is one of the top shot stoppers in the league despite having below-average (for his standards) numbers over the last two seasons.
After his stellar 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Sorokin has seen his SV% decrease and his GAA increase. One of the key components of Sorokin's "down" seasons has been overuse. In 2023-24, the Islanders found themselves in a playoff chase coming down to the wire, with Patrick Roy relying heavily on Sorokin.