When you think of the New York Islanders biggest strength, what comes to mind.

Goaltending. Correct.

By making “hockey trades” as team general manager Lou Lamoriello says, you never want to weaken your strengths.

That’s why netminder Semyon Varlamov was not dealt at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline, even when a first-round pick was on the table, per a league source.

And that’s also why the Islanders should not move the 34-year-old netminder prior to the start of the 2022-23 season.

It’s easy to look at 26-year-old netminder Ilya Sorokin, one of the most skilled goaltenders the NHL has to offer, and say that he can handle the workload of an entire, normal, 82-game season.

But it’s more about security for keeping Semyon Varlamov around until his deal expires following next season.

Look around the league and find a better backup netminder, “1B” guy. Yes, Varlamov is not being paid like a backup, signing a five-year, $5 million AAV contract back in 2019 to be the starter. Combined with Sorokin’s $4 million AAV, the Islanders are spending $9 million on goaltending.

That’s a lot, but again that’s a position of strength.