Piero Greco out as Islanders' goaltending coach

Mathieu Darche, with input from coach Patrick Roy, decided the Islanders needed a “reset with our goalies.”

So the first-year general manager announced on Wednesday that longtime goalie coach Piero Greco had been relieved of his duties and Sergei Naumovs, who previously worked with both Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, had been promoted from AHL Bridgeport to fill the role for at least the rest of this season.

“Piero has done a great job for the organization for the last seven years,” Darche said. “We just felt at this time it was the right timing to have a reset with our goalies. There’s a history with Sergei and Ilya. It’s my decision. It’s not on the player.”

Darche also announced forward Pierre Engvall, in the third season of a seven-year, $21 million deal, underwent ankle surgery on Tuesday and will likely miss the rest of the season. A hip injury kept Engvall sidelined from the start of training camp but Darche said the ankle issue predated his hip problem and recently flared again.

As for Varlamov, still working on his own after season-ending knee surgery in December, Darche said he is progressing and is now dropping to his knees to stop pucks. There’s no clarity on when or if he will play.

Sorokin (2-3-0, 3.90 goals-against average, .873 save percentage) struggled with his rebound control and confidence early, prompting a rare one-on-one session with Roy, a Hall of Fame goalie. He has won his last two starts, making 33 saves in Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the Sharks at UBS Arena.

Roy acknowledged Sorokin’s slow start played a factor.

“Yeah, I was surprised,” said Sorokin, who worked with Naumovs his final two KHL seasons with CSKA Moscow and maintained a working relationship with him after joining the Islanders in 2020. “I feel sorry for him [Greco]. He was with me my first day in the NHL. I really want to say thank you to him. He gave me a lot.”

Under Greco, Sorokin finished second in Vezina Trophy balloting in 2023 and the Islanders’ Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss shared the Jennings Trophy in 2019 for allowing the fewest goals.

But Roy, likening Sorokin’s relationship to Naumovs to the one he had with legendary goalie coach Francois Allaire, said the move felt inevitable.

“It’s a very tough one,” Roy said. “Piero did a really good job for this organization for a long period. [Darche and I] agreed that it was in the best interest of the team. Having Sergei in the area, Ilya had been working with him for years so I think it was just a matter of time that we felt that was the right decision to make.”

Darche said Chris Terreri, the organization’s director of goaltending development and scouting, would work with the Bridgeport goalies and a decision whether to hire somebody else for that role would be made later.

Darche also made clear the obvious: No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer, who has started his NHL career with a six-game point streak, will not be returned to his junior team, Erie of the Ontario Hockey League. Therefore when Schaefer plays  his 10th match it will trigger the first season of his entry-level contract. 

“He’s a big part of our team already,” Darche said. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to read the tea leaves.”

Notes & quotes: Darche said defenseman Alexander Romanov (upper body/day-to-day) was likely to miss at least the next two games . . . Forward Marc Gatcomb was placed on waivers, potentially to create salary cap room to recall a defenseman. Gatcomb is on a one-year, $900,000 deal . . . Right wing Max Shabanov (maintenance) missed practice and Roy said he would be a game-day decision on Thursday night against the visiting Red Wings . . . Roy confirmed goalie David Rittich will start his second game as an Islander and Sorokin will be back in the net on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.