Islanders sign goaltender Semyon Varlamov to four-year deal

The New York Islanders were one of the NHL’s biggest surprises last season, and their stellar goaltender had a lot to do with it. On the first day of free agency, the team has made a change in the crease.

Vezina trophy candidate Robin Lehner is off to the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Islanders quickly responded to that move by signing veteran Semyon Varlamov to a four-year contract.

A ten-year veteran in the league, Varlamov played the previous eight years with the Colorado Avalanche. Last season he finished with a 2.87 goals against average and .909 save percentage, both considerably worse than Lehner’s performances in the same categories.

Varlamov has had his peaks to go along with recent valleys, finishing as a Vezina runner-up himself in 2013-14 after posting a 2.41 goals against and .927 percentage.

A four-year commitment may be a bit of a head scratcher for a 31-year-old goalie coming off a slightly down year, but perhaps the Islanders believe they can find some of the same magic that turned Lehner into one of the top goaltenders in hockey.

More NHL coverage from Yahoo Sports