New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin appears to be in good spirits after undergoing offseason back surgery, and he isn't ruling out being available for Game 1 against Utah next Thursday.

"I'll do everything to be ready," he told reporters Thursday. "Our head coach will say who plays opening night, it's his business. My business is to do all things with my body and my head (to be ready)."

Sorokin practiced with the team on Thursday for the first time this preseason. On Wednesday, he faced some shots before the main group took to the ice.

"It was nice to see him," bench boss Patrick Roy said. "He looked really good, and seems to feel pretty comfortable."

Roy wouldn't commit to a specific timeline when asked if Sorokin would see any preseason game action. The Islanders have just one more contest - a clash against the New York Rangers on Friday - before the start of the regular season.

"We're just gonna go day-by-day," he said. "I can't say more than that. We don't know what tomorrow will be. ... We'll see how he is, we're going to give him his time, no doubt about it."

The Islanders' goaltending tandem of Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov is arguably their biggest strength, though 2023-24 was a down year for the former. Sorokin logged a career-worst .909 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average while posting a 25-19-12 record.

Sorokin lost the starting job to Varlamov down the stretch, getting just five starts in the last 13 games of the regular season.

Varlamov also started all but one contest in New York's five-game playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round. Sorokin was pulled from his one appearance in Game 3 after allowing three goals on 14 shots in a 3-2 loss.

Sorokin was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2022-23 after registering a stellar .924 save percentage, 2.34 goals against average, and 31 wins in 60 starts.

The 29-year-old Russian is eager to rebound this campaign.

"Everybody wants to be better," Sorokin said. 'If we (don't) want to be better, why (are) we professional players? The past is in the past, I just try to focus on small details, our game."

Sorokin is entering the first season of the eight-year, $66-million extension he signed in July 2023. His $8.25-million cap hit makes him the fifth-highest paid goalie in 2024-25, though Boston Bruins restricted free agent Jeremy Swayman remains unsigned.