The New York Islanders have relieved Piero Greco of his duties as goaltending coach, a surprising move occurring only six games into his seventh season with the team, despite a recent three-game winning streak.
General Manager Mathieu Darche made the unexpected announcement Wednesday, revealing Greco’s departure and the subsequent promotion of Sergei Naumovs from
Bridgeport, the Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate.
Naumovs, of Latvian descent, has been with Bridgeport since May of the current year. Notably, he shares a coaching history with franchise goaltender Ilya Sorokin, dating back to their collaboration with CSKA Moscow in the KHL from 2018 to 2020.
Sorokin’s current 3.90 goals-against average stands as the second-highest, and his .873 save percentage ranks as the fourth-lowest in the NHL among goaltenders who have played in at least four games.
“Piero’s contributions to the organization over the past seven years have been significant,” stated Darche. “However, we determined that this was the appropriate moment to initiate a fresh start with our goaltending unit.”
Darche clarified that he did not solicit input from Sorokin regarding the decision. Sorokin is currently in the second year of a substantial $66 million US contract, which extends through 2032.
“This decision rests solely with me; the player was not involved,” Darche affirmed. “I am aware of his past success with Sergei, which influenced our choice. This decision is entirely mine, and the goaltender had no influence on it.”
Darche also mentioned that backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov is making consistent progress in his recovery from knee surgery.
