The NHL released the rosters for its annual All-Star game this past Monday, and to the surprise of nobody, Mathew Barzal was the only Islander who received a plane ticket to St. Louis to participate. While Barzal is obviously the most deserving candidate on the Isles, there is another member of the blue and orange who deserves the opportunity to be going as well, and due to a recent injury, he may get the chance. Semyon Varlamov.
While both Varlamov and Thomas Greiss have had solid seasons in net, it appears as if Varlamov is starting to take control of the number one role, at least for the time being. Against the Caps earlier this week, Varlamov was one of the main reasons the Isles were able to hold on in regulation, as he stopped 36 of 39 shots faced, including stopping all 18 shots in the third period. He has found his game as of late and certainly looks like he has a lot of confidence between the pipes.

Although Joonas Korpisalo of the Blue Jackets and Braden Holtby of the Capitals (who didn’t look like an all-star against the Isles) were named the two Metropolitan goalies, Korpisalo is likely going to have to miss the All-Star game as he recovers from surgery on his torn meniscus. With a replacement goalie needing to be named, it seems as if Semyon Varlamov is the perfect candidate to join Mat Barzal in St. Louis for the 2020 All-Star game. Whether or not he gets the nod remains to be seen.