The New York Islanders have made a surprising move by parting ways with goaltending coach Piero Greco after just six games into his seventh season with the team. General manager Mathieu Darche announced the decision to replace Greco with Sergei Naumovs, who has been coaching in Bridgeport since May 2024.
Naumovs, a Latvian coach, has a strong coaching relationship with the team’s goaltender, Ilya Sorokin, dating back to their time together with CSKA Moscow in the KHL from 2018-20. Sorokin’s performance this season has been subpar, with a 3.90 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage, ranking among the worst in the NHL for goalies who have played at least four games.
Darche emphasized that the decision to let go of Greco was made independently and was not influenced by Sorokin, who is currently under a lucrative contract with the team. Darche stated that the move was necessary for a “reset” with the team’s goalies and that Sorokin was not consulted in the process.
Additionally, Darche mentioned that backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov is making progress in his recovery from knee surgery, indicating a positive development for the team.
