The New York Islanders have sent another prospect overseas, this time loaning Jakub Skarek to Peliitat in the Finnish second league. Skarek should be back in time for NHL training camp, if only because the Islanders don’t have any other goaltenders signed.
The 21-year-old join Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin as the only three under NHL deals in the Islanders organization, meaning he would be the default third-string option should anything happen to one of the roster goalies. That’s a lot to ask of a player that has only one professional season under his belt in North America and split time between the AHL and ECHL.
Of course, the Islanders are still expected to sign Cory Schneider at some point, though it is curious why the deal hasn’t happened yet. If they do, Skarek could go back to being a developmental project for the team this season. For now, he’ll get his legs under him back in Finland for the same team he played for in 2018-19. The Czech-born goaltender has a long way to go if he wants to push for an NHL spot, meaning every minute of game action is important.