New York Islanders President of Hockey Ops and General Manager Lou Lamoriello spoke to the media in Las Vegas on Thursday morning, sharing updates on the injured Isles back on Long Island.
- Semyon Varlamov (lower body, IR) has resumed skating and is taking shots, per Lamoriello. Varlamov has been out since Nov. 29 and Lamoriello said the netminder “should be” practicing with the team when they return from their current road trip. The 36-year-old is 3-4-3 this season with a 2.89 GAA and an .889 SV%. Ilya Sorokin has started 15 of the Islanders’ last 16 games with Varlamov out.
- Lamoriello said he was hopeful that Simon Holmstrom (IR, upper body) and rookie defenseman Isaiah George (day-to-day, upper body) could return to practice in about a week. Holmstrom has been out since Dec. 29 in Pittsburgh, while George has been out since Jan. 2 after taking a high hit against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- Hudson Fasching (day-to-day, upper body) is expected to be out for “a couple weeks." Fasching suffered his injury on Sunday in Boston.
- Lamoriello said there was no definitive timetable for Mike Reilly’s return. The defenseman was injured on Nov. 1 in Buffalo and underwent a heart procedure on Nov. 19, which is the source of his long-term absence. Reilly is skating, but is not cleared for contact. Lamoriello said the expectation is still for Reilly to return this season.
