Getting a No. 3 goalie was a must for the Islanders on July 1.
David Rittich ended up being their guy.
The Islanders inked Rittich to a one-year deal Tuesday, making the 32-year-old their insurance policy in case of a Semyon Varlamov injury.
Rittich played 34 games with the Kings last season with an .886 save percentage and 2.84 GAA.
Varlamov suffered a knee injury on Black Friday last season and missed the rest of the season after undergoing surgery.
While he said on breakup day that he expects to play next season, and Mathieu Darche recently confirmed to The Post that Varlamov’s rehab is on track, the Russian netminder hasn’t stayed healthy for a full season since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
This signing, in essence, is the Islanders admitting some discomfort with trusting Varlamov to start the season healthy (and with Marcus Hogberg being the backup if he doesn’t).
On the ice from Long Island
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“We might address that in free agency just to protect ourselves,” Darche told The Post after the draft. “From what I’m being told [Varlamov] feels great. He doesn’t seem to have any issues with his rehab. Throughout the summer, I’ll be talking with our medical staff and with Varly to make sure he’s healthy.
“We hope he is, hope he’s able to play because that’s as good [of] a tandem as you’ll find in the NHL with [Ilya] Sorokin and Varlamov.”