Changes in the Islanders’ Coaching Staff
The New York Islanders have made an unexpected decision by firing their goaltending coach, Piero Greco, after only six games of the season. This move, announced by general manager Mathieu Darche, marks a significant change in the team’s coaching staff. Darche announced on Wednesday the separation of Greco, and announced the promotion of Sergei Naumovs from Bridgeport, of the American Hockey League. Naumovs, of Latvian nationality, has been in Bridgeport since May 2024 and has extensive experience coaching the franchise’s star goaltender, Ilya Sorokin. The connection between Naumovs and Sorokin dates back to their time together at CSKA Moscow of the KHL, between 2018 and 2020. The average goals against for Sorokin, at 3.90, is the second-worst in the NHL, and his save percentage of .873 ranks among the worst in the league for goalies who have played at least four games.Darche also indicated that this decision was exclusively his and not influenced by Sorokin, who is in the second year of a $66 million contract that extends until 2032. In other Islanders-related news, injured forward Pierre Engvall underwent ankle surgery and is expected to miss the entire season, approximately five to six months, according to Darche. In addition, goaltender Semyon Varlamov continues to progress in his recovery from knee surgery. Due to injuries to some players and the situation with the salary cap, the Islanders placed forward Marc Gatcomb on waivers. Gatcomb, 26 years old, has only played one game this season.Piero has done a great job for the organization over the last seven years. We simply felt this was the right time for a reset with our goaltenders.
Mathieu Darche
