The New York Islanders have dismissed goaltending coach Piero Greco after just six games into his seventh season with the team, despite the team’s recent three-game winning streak. General manager Mathieu Darche made the unexpected announcement on Wednesday, revealing that Sergei Naumovs from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League would be taking over the role.
Naumovs, a Latvian coach, has been with Bridgeport since May 2024 and has a strong coaching history with Islanders’ goalie Ilya Sorokin dating back to their time together at CSKA Moscow in the KHL from 2018-20. Sorokin currently ranks with a 3.90 goals-against average, the second-worst, and a .873 save percentage, the fourth-worst among NHL goalies who have played at least four games.
Darche acknowledged Greco’s contributions over the past seven years but emphasized the need for a reset with the goaltenders at this time. He mentioned that the decision was solely his own and not influenced by Sorokin, who is under contract until 2032.
Darche also provided an update on backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov, indicating that he is making progress in his recovery from knee surgery.
