Islanders' Semyon Varlamov: Officially designated for IR

Varlamov (knee), as expected, was placed on injured reserve Monday.

Considering Varlamov remains without a clear recovery timeline, his placement on injured reserve to open the season shouldn't come as a surprise. The Islanders will open the year with Ilya Sorokin and David Rittich as the goaltending tandem. Even once given the all-clear, Varlamov could struggle to unseat Rittich from the backup role and may find himself featuring in the minors at some point.