The New York Islanders have dismissed their goaltending coach, Piero Greco, after just six games into his seventh season with the team, despite the team’s recent winning streak. General manager Mathieu Darche announced the sudden decision to part ways with Greco and elevate Sergei Naumovs from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.
Naumovs, a Latvian coach, has been with Bridgeport since May 2024 and has a long coaching history with the Islanders’ goalie, Ilya Sorokin, dating back to their time at CSKA Moscow in the KHL from 2018 to 2020. Sorokin currently ranks poorly in the NHL with a 3.90 goals-against average, the second-worst, and a .873 save percentage, the fourth-worst among goalies who have played at least four games.
Darche praised Greco’s contributions over the past seven years but felt it was the right moment for a fresh start with the team’s goalies. Darche made it clear that the decision was solely his and did not involve input from Sorokin, who is under contract until 2032 with a $66 million deal.
Darche also mentioned that backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov is on track to recover from knee surgery.
