Ilya Sorokin, even if he has a down year, is a known commodity at this point in his career.

Sorokin will be one of the 10 best goalies in the league, maybe one of the best five. He can steal games or keep the Islanders in them on any night. He can handle a 60-game workload if necessary, and it usually is. The Islanders are going nowhere without the 30-year-old, and they can go anyplace with him.

It is entirely possible, though, that Sorokin is not the most important goaltender in the organization right now as it relates to the Islanders’ upcoming season. That might just be David Rittich.

That is because Sorokin, for all his greatness, is not Martin Brodeur. He cannot play 82 games. At least 20 or so times, maybe even 30 if things go well, the Islanders are going to follow someone else out of the tunnel for warmups.